Many patients develop abdominal scars following surgery, which can cause lifelong complications. Researchers from Bern and Calgary have found an approach to prevent this.
They are said to be primarily responsible for adhesions in the abdomen: macrophages (red). They close an injury caused by a laser (green).
Anyone who has constant abdominal pain or digestive problems following abdominal surgery or a caesarean section might have adhesions in their abdomen. These are tough, more or less wide tissue strands that form where they don’t belong: for example between two intestinal loops, between intestine and liver, stomach or abdominal wall or in the uterus or fallopian tubes. Up to eight out of ten patients get such adhesions. However, they can also occur without surgical intervention, for example following endometriosis or inflammation.