| All surgery causes some scar tissue as part of the healing process. It's the same on the inside as it is on the outside. You may have heard about adhesions. Adhesions are filmy bands of scar tissue that occur within the abdomen. Often they occur years after major abdominal surgery. They usually cause no symptoms. Sometimes, however, they connect between two loops of small intestine. This may cause a kink to form in the small intestine and lead to a bowel blockage. Just like bending a garden hose stops the flow of water, a kink in the small intestine can block the flow of digestive food. Symptoms of a blockage of the intestine would include constipation, abdominal crampy pain, distention of the abdomen, and vomiting. A complete blockage is a serious problem and requires hospitalization and exploratory surgery. Minor episodes can be treated by simply going on a liquid diet for a few days until the blockage passes. Neither x-ray studies nor scope tests can see adhesions, but x-rays can see the blockage of the intestine that suggests they are there. |
