Clinical outcomes of laparoscopic adhesiolysis for mechanical small bowel obstruction

Laparoscopy for small bowel obstruction (SBO) has increasingly been performed for the advantages minimally invasive surgery provides. However, its benefit remains unclear.

From January 2004 to July 2011, we enrolled 28 consecutive patients who underwent a laparoscopic operation for SBO, secondary to postoperative adhesions. We compared the results of SBO patients treated laparoscopically with those of 25 patients who underwent conventional open laparotomy in a retrospective matched-pair analysis.

Laparoscopic treatment was completed in 25 patients (89%), including 17 laparoscopic-assisted cases. The mean procedural time was 112 minutes in the laparoscopic group and 79 minutes in the open group (P < 0.05). Patients resumed oral intake after a mean of 3 days in the laparoscopic group compared with a mean of 6.5 days in the open group (P < 0.05). The length of hospital stay was 11 and 22 days (P < 0.05), respectively, in the laparoscopic and open groups. Postoperative complications occurred in two patients in the laparoscopy group and 14 patients in the open group (P < 0.05).

The laparoscopic approach was effective for the management of mechanical SBO in selected patients. Furthermore, minimally invasive laparoscopic adhesiolysis is also feasible and brings the benefit of cosmetic results.