The Goal of Patient Treatment for Abdominal Adhesions |
Sometimes the adhesions can be so dense and widespread that at present surgery is not feasible, but we can help the patient maintain a good quality of life until science has advanced enough that they can be cured.
In other cases because the patient has had surgery and has been said to have adhesions, anything that is wrong with the patient is blamed on adhesions.
Adhesions may indeed be present, but may not be the main or the only cause of suffering. The evaluation of the patient might follow the lines of detective work to determine what is causing the symptoms and suffering. It might not always be adhesions.
The evaluation might involve additional doctors and different specialties. It could be a gynecological problem such as ovarian cysts or endometriosis. It could be a urological problem, such as interstitial cystitis, It could be a surgical problem unrelated to the adhesions such as gallbladder disease or incisional hernias. It could be gastroenterological condition such as irritable bowel, colitis, or a bowel motility problem such as pseudo-obstruction of the colon.
In a third group of patients the symptoms come from adhesions and only adhesions. Surgery might be laparoscopic or it might be an open operation. It might be one operation or series of surgeries. Evaluation must be complete and a plan made achieving steady progress in the care of the patient.
"My long time involvement with adhesion patients has always had a purpose: to find a better therapy which would cure or improve the life of the patient. That begins with the most necessary part of the treatment and that is a well informed patient."
~Dr. Semertzides
|
