Abdominal adhesions are bands of fibrous
tissue that can form between abdominal tissues and organs. Abdominal adhesions
cause tissues and organs in the abdominal cavity to stick together. ... Surgery
is the only way to treat abdominal adhesions that cause pain, intestinal
obstruction, or fertility problems.
Symptoms caused by abdominal adhesions
vary; however, most adhesions do not cause symptoms.
Typical symptoms caused by abdominal
adhesions include abdominal discomfort around the belly button that is
cramp-like followed by distention of the abdomen. Symptoms may become intense
with obstruction.
Abdominal surgery is the most frequent
cause of abdominal adhesions. Other causes of abdominal adhesions include
inflammation of an organ such as cholecystitis or appendicitis, peritonitis,
foreign objects left inside the abdomen at the time of surgery, bleeding into
the peritoneal cavity, or inflammatory conditions such as pelvic inflammatory
disease.
At the sites of where abdominal adhesions
occur, the intestine can twist on itself, and the twisting may obstruct the
normal movement of its contents (particularly in the small intestine).
Abdominal adhesions that cause a complete
intestinal obstruction may be life-threatening and require immediate medical
attention and often surgery.
Abdominal adhesions can cause female
infertility by preventing fertilized eggs from reaching the uterus, where fetal
development takes place.
No tests are available to diagnose
adhesions, and adhesions cannot be seen through imaging techniques such as
X-rays or ultrasound.
An intestinal obstruction can be seen
through abdominal X-rays, barium contrast studies (lower or upper GI series),
and computerized tomography (CT).
The treatment for abdominal adhesions is
either laparoscopic surgery or open surgery whereby the adhesions are cut by
scalpel or electric current.
