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Query: UMLS:C0021843 (bowel obstruction)
 9,927 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The primary use of laparoscopy is as a surgical tool, with sterilizations being the overwhelming indication. The laparoscope is used less frequently as a non-surgical tool, with the major indication being for diagnosing infertility and/or amenorrhea, and for evaluation of obscure pelvic pain. There would seem to be several indications for laparoscopy that have been neglected, these being in confirming the diagnosis of acute pelvic inflammatory disease; in the evaluation of malignancies and abdominal-pelvic trauma; and the surgical treatment of pelvic pain. Lapar-The majority of these contraindications are relative, and depend soley on the laparoscopist's ability and his clinical judgment. The problems of hernias seem to have been over-emphasized. The laparoscopist should be aware of potential problems with umbilical hernia, and he probably can ignore hiatal hernias except when they are large and quite symptomatic. However, generalized abdominal peritonitis, significant hemoperitoneum with intestinal obstruction are felt by most authors to be absolute contraindications. The most frequent complications of laparoscopy involve the physoperitoneum. Except for cardiac arrest the most serious complications involve electrical burns to small bowel.
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PMID:Indications, contraindications and complications of laparoscopy. 12 9

Intraperitoneal adhesion formation is a major cause of infertility and/or intestinal obstruction. Among the many well-known aetiological factors responsible for peritoneal inflammatory reaction is surgical glove powder; for example, cornstarch powder. A study was undertaken on 30 rats to determine whether cornstarch powder caused intraperitoneal adhesions. The rats were randomised into two groups under laboratory conditions. Laparotomies were performed on all the rats and trauma inflicted to the right uterine horn. The study group received cornstarch powder suspended in normal physiological salt solution intraperitoneally, and the control group received only normal physiological salt solution. Peritoneal adhesions were evaluated after 2 weeks and statistically analysed with a t-test and 95% confidence intervals. The study group showed a statistically significantly higher incidence of intraperitoneal adhesions (P = 0.0003). It is concluded that cornstarch, as used on surgical gloves, caused peritoneal adhesions and should therefore be removed before surgery. Powder-free gloves are more suitable for preventing adhesion formation.
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PMID:Surgical glove powder and intraperitoneal adhesion formation. An appeal for the use of powder-free surgical gloves. 173 57

Adhesions are the leading cause of small bowel obstruction and a frequent cause of failure of infertility operations. Fibrinolysis is involved in the formation and resolution of adhesions. Although intravenous dextran (Macrodex) is known to augment intravascular fibrinolysis, the effects of intraperitoneal dextran (Hyskon) on fibrinolysis have not been extensively studied. A fibrin plate assay system was used to assess plasminogen activator activity of rabbit peritoneum and plasma after treatment with intraperitoneal or intravenous dextran 70. Hyskon significantly reduced the ability of severe trauma to depress plasminogen activator activity of visceral peritoneum and was capable of direct plasminogen activation. Untraumatized or minimally traumatized peritoneum was not affected, nor was plasminogen activator activity of plasma. Pulmonary effusions and perioperative deaths were significantly associated with the use of Hyskon.
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PMID:Intravenous versus intraperitoneal administration of dextran in the rabbit: effects on fibrinolysis. 242 47

The presence of pelvic adhesions is implicated as a significant cause of pelvic pain, bowel obstruction and infertility in women. Laparoscopy has become an invaluable method for the evaluation and treatment of such adhesions. A prospective study was designed to correlate specific findings in the preoperative history and physical examination with the presence of adhesions seen at laparoscopy. Two hundred seventy-three consecutive patients undergoing laparoscopy were analyzed; pelvic adhesions were found in 99 (36.3%). At the time of laparoscopy the only historical predictor found to be associated with adhesive disease was previous pelvic surgery. Physical examination predictors associated with the presence of adhesions were uterine immobility, a right adnexal mass and right adnexal tenderness.
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PMID:Predictors of pelvic adhesions. 252 88

Chlamydia trachomatis infection in the lower part of the genital tract of young girls and women may ascend to produce endometritis, salpingitis, perihepatitis, and other localized or generalized abdominal diseases. The resultant pain syndromes mimic a number of other common conditions that must be differentiated. A careful history and physical examination, with attention to historical and physical evidence of sexually transmitted disease, will alert the clinician to the possibility of chlamydial infection. Laboratory tests for C trachomatis may be helpful. However, tests of specimens from the lower genitourinary tract may yield negative results in patients with disease of the upper part of the genital tract and abdomen. Prompt recognition and treatment not only alleviate pain but also may help prevent inflammatory sequelae such as chronic painful adhesions, small-bowel obstruction, and tubal infertility. Costly workups and unnecessary surgery may also be avoided.
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PMID:Abdominal pain. Chlamydia as culprit. 272 43

Modified bilateral retroperitoneal lymph node dissection is used widely in the staging and treatment of patients with nonseminomatous germ cell testis tumors. Complications are uncommon and include vascular injury, infertility and small bowel obstruction from fibrous adhesions. Small bowel intussusception following retroperitoneal lymph node dissection has not been reported previously. We report 2 cases of small bowel intussusception after retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, and discuss the etiology and possible preventive measures.
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PMID:Small bowel intussusception: an unusual complication of retroperitoneal lymph node dissection. 276 70

Adhesions are a leading cause of bowel obstruction and infertility. The coverage of peritoneal defects, as in gastroschisis, is still a crucial problem. Despite biodegradable substitutes and synthetic implants such as PTFE membrane, a satisfactory replacement for gastroschisis has not been identified. The amniotic membrane, which is available at birth with a low antigenicity, was evaluated as a peritoneal substitute. Viable, partially viable, and inversed-used amniotic membranes were compared in a rat model. A full-thickness abdominal wall defect was made and the amniotic membrane sutured into this defect. The skin was closed over the amniotic membrane. Reoperation was performed 3 weeks after initial surgery, and the adhesion formation was measured by computerized area calculation. Viable amniotic membrane showed 0 to 3% area adhesion formation, while partially viable (50%) amniotic membrane demonstrated 33% area adhesion formation. Inversed-used amniotic membrane, with the stromal side directed toward the abdominal cavity, showed 70% of the amniotic membrane area to be covered with adhesions. The same amount was found in the control group, in which no substitute was sutured into the defect. This animal model is suitable for the straightforward evaluation of peritoneal substitutes with regard to adhesion formation. It is easy to perform and mimics surgical needs. Viable amniotic membrane proved to be an excellent antiadhesive tissue.
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PMID:Evaluation of amniotic membrane as adhesion prophylaxis in a novel surgical gastroschisis model. 791 42

Postoperative adhesions are a major cause of bowel obstruction and infertility. Since mast cells in the intestinal wall have been shown to degranulate after bowel manipulation, we investigated a possible role for these cells in peritoneal adhesion formation. Adhesions were created in weanling rats using cecal scraping and the application of 95% ethanol. The rats were treated with saline or one of two mast cell stabilizers, disodium cromoglycate (DSCG) or nedocromil sodium (NED), intraperitoneally 30 minutes before laparotomy and at the time of abdominal closure. The adhesions were assessed blindly 1 week later using a standardized scale. When the results in rats treated with DSCG were compared with those in rats treated with saline, the DSCG rats had significant attenuation of adhesion formation at 2 mg/kg (1.05 +/- 1.0 versus 2.15 +/- 0.8) and 10 mg/kg (1.2 +/- 0.9 versus 2.71 +/- 0.5). The application of NED decreased adhesions at a dose of 100 mg/kg (1.33 +/- 1.2 versus 2.4 +/- 0.8) but not at 10 mg/kg (2.4 +/- 0.8 versus 2.4 +/- 0.8). Histologic analysis using toluidine blue staining was done to assess the effect of DSCG on mast cell degranulation in the same adhesion model. DSCG significantly decreased the number of degranulated mast cells in the bowel wall when compared with saline (7.16 +/- 0.6 mast cells/high-power field [hpf] versus 12.4 +/- 1.9 mast cells/hpf). These data suggest that mast cells play an important role in the initial stages of peritoneal adhesion formation. In the future, pharmacologic inhibition of mast cell degranulation may be a useful adjunct for the prevention of postoperative adhesions.
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PMID:Role of mast cells in peritoneal adhesion formation. 838 Mar 13

The increased incidence of postoperative adhesions and their complications have refocused attention on our understanding of adhesions, their clinical consequences and prevention. Postsurgical adhesions have four major negative impacts on health care outcomes. First, adhesions cause significant morbidity, including intestinal obstruction, infertility and pelvic pain. Second, adhesions are associated with multiple surgical complications. Third, these complications lead to greater surgical workload and utilization of hospital and other health care resources. Fourth, all these negative impacts result in significant economic burden to society. The complexities of adhesion formation and limitations in their understanding and research have hampered the development of satisfactory preventive treatments. Adhesions are highly differentiated, formed through an intricate process and associated with a complex organ, the peritoneum. The surface lining of the peritoneum is the key site in adhesion formation and prevention. Two unique properties of the peritoneal surface play key roles in these processes: its delicacy and its uniform, relatively rapid rate of re-epithelialization, irrespective of the size of injury. A suitable barrier that separates damaged peritoneal surfaces for the entire five to seven days of re-epithelialization is likely to prove effective in reducing adhesion formation. Postsurgical peritoneal repair begins with coagulation, which releases a variety of chemical messengers that bring about a cascade of events. Some of the principal cellular elements in this cascade are leukocytes, including polymorphonuclear neutrophils and macrophages, mesothelial cells, and fibrin. Following surgical injury, macrophages exhibit increased phagocytic, respiratory burst and secretory activity, and after day 5, are the major component of the leukocyte population. Macrophages also recruit new mesothelial cells onto the surface of the injury. These cells form small islands throughout the injured area which proliferate into sheets of mesothelial cells and accomplish re-epithelialization, usually five to seven days after surgical injury. The progenitor to adhesions is the fibrin gel matrix which develops in several steps. These include the formation and insolubilization of fibrin polymer and its interaction with fibronectin and a series of amino acids. Protective fibrinolytic enzyme systems of the peritoneal mesothelium, such as the tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) system, can remove the fibrin gel matrix. However, surgery dramatically diminishes fibrinolytic activity. This occurs in at least two ways: first, by increasing levels of plasminogen activator inhibitors and second, by reducing tissue oxygenation. Peritoneal re-epithelialization and adhesion formation thus can be seen as alternative pathways following peritoneal injury. The pivotal events determining the pathway are the apposition of two damaged surfaces and the extent of fibrinolysis. Development of strategies to separate damaged peritoneal surfaces and to foster an appropriate degree of fibrinolysis appears to be among the most promising avenues of adhesion prevention research. Hopefully, these efforts will lead to adhesion-free peritoneal healing following abdominal surgery.
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PMID:Biochemical events in peritoneal tissue repair. 907 47

Adhesions, which occur after 67% to 93% of abdominal operations, represent a major clinical problem, resulting in intestinal obstruction, infertility, and pain and incurring considerable economic costs. The magnitude and seriousness of the problem of adhesions have been underappreciated. Moreover, efforts to prevent or reduce adhesions largely have been unsuccessful, hindered by their empirical basis, the lack of good predictive animal models, and the biochemical complexities of adhesiogenesis. The two major strategies for adhesion prevention or reduction are adjusting surgical technique and applying adjuvants. Modifications in technique that all surgeons should implement include minimizing the invasiveness of surgery, minimizing surgical trauma, such as ischemia from peritoneal suturing, and avoiding the introduction of foreign material, e.g., starch glove powder, into the body. Given the adhesiogenic nature of peritoneal repair, however, improvements in surgical technique alone will help decrease but not prevent adhesion formation. Adjuvant therapy is necessary. Adjuvants fall into two main categories, drugs and barriers. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have shown questionable clinical efficacy, possibly because of difficulties in drug delivery. Corticosteroids, alone or with antihistamines, also have had equivocal clinical results and may be immunosuppressive and delay wound healing. Experimentally, fibrinolytics such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), administered systemically or intraperitoneally (i.p.), have demonstrated conflicting results and hemorrhagic complications. However, recently, tPA, administered topically in a carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) gel, has been effective in reducing and preventing adhesions in rabbits. Phosphatidylcholine, given i.p. or orally, also has shown promise in animal studies. Barriers, by separating traumatized surfaces for the critical first five to seven days of peritoneal re-epithelialization, are useful adjuvants, and include macromolecular solutions and mechanical devices. Dextran, a macromolecular solution, has been studied widely, but has not demonstrated consistent clinical efficacy and has been largely abandoned as an anti-adhesion barrier. A newly developed hyaluronic acid-phosphate-buffered saline solution applied intraoperatively to protect peritoneal surfaces from indirect surgical trauma effectively and safely reduced adhesions in a large multicenter study of women undergoing gynecological laparotomy. Three recently developed mechanical barriers also have demonstrated clinical progress in adhesion prevention. A bioresorbable membrane consisting of hyaluronic acid and CMC has gained regulatory approval for clinical use in both general and gynecological surgery following demonstration of efficacy and safety in reducing adhesions. A barrier made of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene and another developed from oxidized regenerated cellulose are currently available for gynecological surgery. With continued research, new and improved approaches hopefully will become available to prevent adhesion formation.
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PMID:Adhesions: preventive strategies. 907 50


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