Long-term outcomes and quality of life after laparoscopic adhesiolysis for chronic abdominal pain

Study Objective. To evaluate clinical outcome in terms of pain and quality of life after laparoscopic adhesiolysis. Design. Prospective observational study (Canadian Task Force II-3). Setting. University-affiliated medical center. Patients. Twenty-three patients (22 women). Intervention. Laparoscopic adhesiolysis for chronic abdominal pain. Measurements and Main Results. Pain was assessed by validated McGill score. Patients with an intraindividual decrease in pain score of 5 points or more were considered successes. Quality of life was assessed by the SF-36 and gastrointestinal quality of life index. Patients were evaluated before and at intervals until 2 years after adhesiolysis. The mean pain score before adhesiolysis was 30.5 (range: 17-40). At 2 years of follow-up, 10 (45%) of 22 patients (95% CI 0.244-0.678) were considered successes. They reported significant improvement in quality of life on scales physical, role physical, and social function, and fewer gastrointestinal symptoms, Twelve women (55%) had a complete relapse, and most were not motivated to visit the pain clinic after 6 months. Conclusion. Laparoscopic adhesiolysis for chronic abdominal pain was successful in only 45% of patients.