Chronic Abdominal Pain Treatment

Adhesions are bands or strands of scar tissue that may be formed between organs following an injury or a surgery (abdominal and pelvic) or about of intra-abdominal infection (pelvic inflammatory disease, diverticulitis). These are considered to be inevitable part of healing process of the body.

Symptoms of Adhesions

Although most of the adhesions are asymptomatic but some may show symptoms like:

• Infertility
• Obstruction of bowel
• Chronic abdominal pain
• Abdominal distension
• Intermittent or continuous vomiting
• Chronic pelvic pain

Laparoscopic Adhesiolysis

Laparoscopy is the best suitable procedure to confirm the presence and hence removal of adhesions. The procedure requires only small incisions in the abdominal cavity to insert laparoscope that is attached to a monitor outside the patient body. The surgeon views the anatomy of abdominal cavity on the monitor and if any adhesions are found, they are divided and removed using laparoscopic instruments. This is called laparoscopic adhesiolysis.

Advantages of laparoscopic Adhesiolysis over other approaches

• Less postoperative pain
• Decreased incidence of ventral hernia
• Reduced rate of overall complications, prolonged ileus, and pulmonary complications
• Reduced rate of recurrent adhesive small bowel obstruction
• Reduced recovery time
• Early return of bowel function
• Shorter hospital stay