How common are Abdominal Adhesions?
Abdominal adhesions are common and often develop after abdominal surgery. In abdominal surgery, surgeons enter a patient’s abdomen through an incision, or cut. Abdominal surgery may be laparoscopic or open.
In laparoscopic surgery, which is increasingly common, surgeons make small cuts in the abdomen and insert special tools to view, remove, or repair organs and tissues. In open surgery, surgeons make a larger cut to open the abdomen.
Abdominal adhesions develop in more than 9 out of every 10 people who have surgery that opens the abdomen.However, a majority of people with abdominal adhesions do not develop symptoms or complications. Abdominal adhesions are less common after laparoscopic surgery than after open surgery.
Who is more likely to have abdominal adhesions?
People who have had abdominal surgery are more likely to have abdominal adhesions. Among people who have had abdominal surgery, adhesions and related complications are more common in people who4
- had emergency abdominal surgery
- had pelvic surgery or surgery that involved the lower digestive tract, including the colon and rectum
