About Abdominal Surgeries
What are Adhesions?
Adhesions are scars that form abnormal connections between tissue surfaces. Post-surgical adhesion formation is a natural consequence of surgery, resulting when tissue repairs itself following incision, cauterization, suturing, or other means of trauma.
Post-surgical adhesions are very common. Research indicates that adhesions occur in up to 90% of major gynaecologic surgeries.
How Adhesions Affect a Patient
Complications associated with adhesions are high, and may include:
 | Small bowel obstruction – 49% to 74%
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| Infertility – 15% to 20%
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| Chronic pelvic pain – 20% to 50%. |
Quite often a patient will undergo surgery to cut adhesions, only to have them re-form. Re-operations are also complicated by adhesions. Surgeons have to spend a considerable amount of time, anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours, cutting adhesions before the new procedure can begin. This can prolong the patient's recovery time and increase the risk, cost and complexity of the surgery.
For more information about Abdominal Surgeries contact your doctor or other healthcare professional.
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