ABSTRACT
Adhesions may be defined as abnormal tissue attachments between tissues and organs. They can be either congenital or acquired in nature. Acquired adhesions develop in response to trauma to the peritoneum as a result of either surgery or inflammation. Postoperative adhesions commonly occur after pelvic inflammatory disease and peritoneal cavity surgery and are the leading cause of intestinal obstruction. For most, intraperitoneal adhesions remain asymptomatic. Adhesions have been correlated with infertility related to tuboovarian involvement and pelvic pain. It is generally accepted that adhesions may impair organ motility resulting in visceral pain transmitted by peritoneal innervation, Although nerve fibers have been demonstrated in pelvic adhesions, their presence has not been shown to be more common in women with chronic pelvic pain. Moreover, there does not appear to be an association between the severity of adhesions and the amount of pain. Surgery to treat intraperitoneal adhesions for pelvic pain should be undertaken only in those women whose symptoms have been correlated with a reasonable degree of certainty. The effectiveness of adhesiolysis in treating chronic pain is unclear.
