May follow inflammation which causes two surfaces, normally separated, to stick together and form fibrous tissue. Peritonitis is a common cause of adhesions in the abdomen resulting in intestinal obstruction. Adhesions can occur in joint diseases, chest troubles such as pleurisy, intestinal and bowel disorders. Sometimes it is necessary for adhesions to be divided by surgery.
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The joining of normally unconnected body parts by bands of fibrous tissue. Adhesions are sometimes present from birth, but they most often develop as a result of scarring after inflammation. Adhesions are most common in the abdomen, where they often form after peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining) or surgery. Sometimes, loops of intestine are bound together by adhesions, causing intestinal obstruction (see intestine, obstruction of). In such cases, surgery is usually required to cut the bands of tissue.
The abnormal union of two normally separate tissues. Adhesion may occur after in?ammation or surgery; the result is often a ?brous band between the adjacent tissues. Examples are adhesions between joint surfaces – which reduce mobility of a joint – or, after operation, between loops of intestine, where the ?brous band may cause obstruction. Movement of the heart may be restricted by adhesions between the organ and its membranous cover, the pericardial sac.
n. 1. a fibrous band of connective tissue that develops in response to inflammation, trauma, or surgery, resulting in the union of two adjacent structures. Adhesions between loops of intestine often occur following abdominal surgery and may predispose to symptoms of abdominal pain or intestinal obstruction. If the pericardial sac is affected by an adhesion, the contractions of the heart may be restricted. 2. a healing process in which the edges of a wound fit together. In primary adhesion there is very little *granulation tissue; in secondary adhesion the two edges are joined together by granulation tissue.
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