Scar tissue, known as abdominal adhesions, develops between the abdominal organs and cells, causing the tissues to adhere to one another. Most of this scar tissue is the result of abdominal surgery. It could also be a result of radiation, trauma, or disease. The gastrointestinal system, the heart, and the pelvis are where adhesions are most commonly discovered. However, they could appear anywhere else in the body. Typically, one won’t require treatment for this.

What are abdominal adhesions?
Strips of fibrous scar tissue called abdominal adhesions develop on the abdominal organs. They may cause the abdominal wall or the organs to adhere to one another. Sometimes, a section of the intestine with adhesions can become clogged and unblocked, leading to intermittent symptoms.

Causes of abdominal adhesions
Surgery
The most common reason for abdominal adhesions is abdomen surgery. Sometimes, the surgical team briefly moves the abdominal organs from their natural placements. This encourages an excessive amount of scar tissue growth in some persons. Such symptoms and problems might surface anytime after surgery.

Incisional operations, dehydration of abdomen organs, interaction with foreign bodies such as gloves and inner cells, and stagnant blood not eliminated during or after the operation are among the surgical events that might cause adhesion formation. The omentum is one of the tissues in the abdomen that is more prone to producing adhesions.

Health conditions
Adhesions can also result from problems that produce inflammation or disease in the abdomen, like peritonitis, endometriosis, and Crohn’s disease. People with peritonitis, an infection that has progressed to the membrane of the abdominal organs, may also get adhesions. Endometriosis is yet another uncommon factor. It is a condition wherein the tissue that lines the uterus grows outside the uterus.

Dialysis
Long-term dialysis treatment to cure kidney disease and radiation treatment to treat cancer are two significant causes of abdominal adhesions.

Congenital
Abdominal adhesions can occasionally be present since birth. Fibrin is formed onto the injured tissue during the natural healing procedure, acting as a glue to close off the wound. Fibrin also creates an adhesion as a foundation for mature tissue. By regulating its formation and dissolving rate, enzymes that restrict fibrin deposition may also control other physiological processes. However, this mechanism is not complete in scar tissue, and an adhesion develops when repair cells such as macrophages synthesize materials like collagen to forge a long-lasting structure. This structure may tighten and expand over time. Abdominal adhesions that have no evident reason are extremely rare.

How can abdominal adhesions cause intestinal blockage?
Abdominal adhesions that kink, bend, or drag the intestines out of position can cause intestinal obstructions. A digestive block prevents food or feces from passing through the intestines either partly or entirely. Intestinal blockage needs to be treated immediately.

How can abdominal adhesions affect a woman’s ability to conceive?
Abdominal adhesions induce female infertility by blocking fertilized eggs from entering the uterus, where embryonic growth happens. The fallopian tubes transport eggs from the ovaries, where they are kept and released to the womb, which can be kinked, twisted, or pulled out of place due to adhesions.

How to prevent abdominal adhesions?
Although abdominal adhesions are hard to avoid, they can be reduced through surgical methods.

Small incisions: Making small incisions like laparoscopic surgery prevents the opening of the belly. Instead, a camera and specialized surgical instruments are inserted through a few tiny abdominal incisions. By expanding the abdomen, the surgeon has more room to work.

A unique film-like substance can be put between organs and the abdomen cut if a significant abdominal incision is necessary. The human body absorbs the wax paper-like film-like substance in roughly a week.

Additionally, wearing starch- and latex-free gloves, carefully treating tissues and organs, speeding up the operation, and not letting tissues dry out are all ways to decrease the formation of adhesions during surgery.

Medical history: Including any previous history of surgical treatment or other diseases that can result in abdominal adhesions will be questioned by the doctor. The doctor will also examine the history of any illnesses or conditions that may have symptoms resembling those of abdominal adhesions.

Blood samples will be collected by a medical expert and sent to a lab. Physicians may request blood tests to check for other health issues that could be the source, even though they cannot be used to identify abdominal adhesions. Blood tests can assist doctors in determining the severity of a blockage if a person experiences symptoms of intestinal obstruction.

As the body tries to heal itself, abdominal adhesions form. This typical reaction may occur following surgery, an illness, trauma, or radiation. The body’s repair cells are unable to distinguish between different organs. When an organ is being repaired and comes in contact with some other organ or piece of its own, scar tissue can develop to bind the two surfaces.