Abdominal adhesions: surgery vs. conservative treatment

For affected patients abdominal adhesions are often associated with severe chronic pain syndromes that are difficult to localize and are furthermore responsible for 15-20% of cases of secondary infertility and for 60-70% of all mechanical diseases of the ileus. Adhesion prevention through preferably atraumatic surgical procedures and the use of antiadhesive materials are of particular importance. For the majority of patients surgical adhesiolysis is an effective treatment method to alleviate adhesion-related symptoms. The increase in the complication rate due to secondary operations and the high risk of recurrent adhesions can necessitate a primary conservative approach to treat adhesion-related symptoms. This review article assesses the current evidence regarding prevention, surgical, and conservative treatment options for postoperative abdominal adhesions.