Approximately 3 million people who underwent open gynecologic or general
abdominal surgery in the US in 1995. Between 10 and 15 percent of those
people will undergo second procedures to remove adhesions. According
too a 1993 study, $1.2 billion were spent in the US in 1988 to remove
abdominal adhesions. Up to 93% of abdominal surgery patients have
adhesions due to previous surgery. Abdominal adhesions are the
predominate cause of small bowel obstruction, obstruction due to
adhesion reformation occurred in 11 to 21% of cases. Adhesion formation
is found at second look in 55 to 100% of patients undergoing
gynecological surgery. Pelvic adhesions are associated with infertility
in 15 to 20% of cases. Postoperative adhesions can lead to chronic
pelvic pain. Over 446,000 procedures were performed in the US to lyse
abdominopelvic adhesions in 1993. Sounds like a major problem that
needs addressed to me!!! Sherry Marie