Adhesion
A band of internal scar tissue binding together structures that are normally separate.
What it means
Adhesions are bands of fibrous scar tissue that form between organs or tissues which should slide freely against one another.
They develop after abdominal or pelvic surgery, after infection such as pelvic inflammatory disease, and in endometriosis.
Adhesions are the commonest cause of small bowel obstruction in anyone who has had abdominal surgery, sometimes decades afterwards.
In practice
Frequently identified at operation rather than on imaging, since they are poorly seen on scans. Surgical notes may describe "dense adhesions" complicating access.
Adhesiolysis is the operation to divide them — though surgery to treat adhesions can itself generate more.
Why it matters
Adhesions are a recognised cause of chronic pelvic pain and of infertility through tubal blockage.
Colicky abdominal pain with vomiting, abdominal distension and absent bowel movements or wind suggests obstruction and requires emergency assessment, particularly in anyone with previous abdominal surgery.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Mohammad Zubair Khan, GMC 7563469
Last reviewed
August 30, 2026