Intestinal adhesions, caused by surgery or diseases like endometriosis or Crohn’s disease, can obstruct the intestine and cause severe symptoms. Doctors take claims of adhesions seriously and may use scans or tests to investigate. Surgical removal is the standard treatment, but nonsurgical approaches may be preferred for some cases.
Intestinal adhesions are the joining of the intestine, often with scar tissue from surgery or diseases such as endometriosis or Crohn’s disease, which can create serious problems with the functioning of the intestine or jeopardize the integrity of the intestine. intestine. Although most people develop only minor adhesions after any type of intestinal surgery that is safe, sometimes the union is significant and causes partial or complete blockage of the intestine. When this occurs, additional surgery or treatment may be needed to remove the adhesions or repair the blockages.
The small and large intestines are complex structures that loop over each other in a variety of ways. When surgery is performed or if scarring occurs within these structures, intestinal adhesions may form. Parts of the intestine can connect to each other through scar tissue, or in conditions such as endometriosis, endometrial tissue connects to parts of the intestine, especially common in the upper intestine. Because of the way the intestines are structured, it’s not that difficult for scarring to result in ties that partially obstruct the movement of food and liquids.
When intestinal adhesions are significant, they can cause total obstruction, resulting in severe abdominal and sometimes pelvic pain, inability to have a bowel movement, nausea or vomiting, fever, and potentially intestinal perforation. The latter is a great risk because the contents of the intestines can spill into the abdominal cavity and cause a systemic infection. Suspected intestinal rupture or perforation is medically urgent, and the other symptoms described above also require immediate treatment.
Given the risks of intestinal perforation, claims of having intestinal adhesions or blockages are usually taken very seriously by doctors. A number of scans, including computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), might be done to investigate this matter. More thorough tests might include colonoscopy or barium x-rays to look for specific areas of intestinal adhesions or blockages.
People who have had bowel surgery of any kind are generally cautioned to look out for evidence of bowel adhesions, although there may be few symptoms of their presence in the early stages. They can only become problematic if they start blocking the functioning of the intestines later, and adhesions may take some time to develop after surgery. Those with chronic intestinal conditions or with endometriosis could also be warned that scarring in the intestines could cause intestinal adhesions.
When adhesions prove problematic and threaten or are already obstructing the intestines, the standard of care is to remove them surgically. Those with significant scarring from Crohn’s disease may simply develop more scarring from surgeries and end up needing bowel resections repeatedly to control this condition. Some doctors believe that nonsurgical approaches to Crohn’s disease are best as long as possible to avoid this slippery slope.
Each case is highly individualized. For some, surgical treatment to remove adhesions is the appropriate course. Surgery is absolutely necessary for total intestinal blockage or perforation, as without it these conditions can be fatal.
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