Laparoscopic versus open adhesiolysis in patients with bowel obstruction

ABSTRACT

Background: Adhesions are bands of scar tissue that form between organs. In the abdomen, they form after an abdominal surgery or after a bout of intra-abdominal infection [i.e., pelvic inflammatory disease, diverticulitis]. More than 95% of patients who undergo abdominal surgery develop adhesions; these are nearly inevitably part of the body's healing process. Though most adhesions are asymptomatic, some can cause bowel obstructions, infertility, and chronic pain