Abdominal Adhesions

Diagnosis

Your doctor will examine you, paying special attention to your abdomen. He or she also will examine your rectum. If you are a woman, your doctor will do a pelvic exam. To find further evidence for the diagnosis, your doctor will order blood tests and X-rays of your chest and abdomen. In some people with suspected intestinal obstruction or strangulation, the diagnosis can be confirmed only at the time of abdominal surgery.

Expected Duration

Abdominal adhesions are permanent unless the patient has a surgical procedure called adhesion lysis. During this operation a surgeon uses instruments to clip the fibers that have formed into adhesions and to remove as much of this scar tissue as possible.