Control and prevention of peritoneal adhesions in gynecologic surgery.

Postoperative adhesion formation is a natural consequence of surgical tissue trauma and healing and may result in infertility, pain, and bowel obstruction. Microsurgical principles and minimally invasive surgery may help decrease adhesion formation, but anti-inflammatory agents and peritoneal instillates have no demonstrable benefit. Although some surgical barriers are effective for reducing postoperative adhesions, none has been shown to improve fertility or to decrease pain or the incidence of postoperative bowel obstruction.