Laparoscopy associated with lesser risk of small-bowel obstructions

Open surgery appears to be associated with an increased risk of small-bowel obstructions compared to laparoscopic procedures. This is shown by a new study at the Sahlgrenska Academy, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

In many cases, the surgical technique is the most important factor when it comes to adhesive small-bowel obstruction, even when taking factors such as age, previous operations and other health conditions into account.

This is shown by a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy, which reviewed 108,141 operations carried out in Sweden between 2002 and 2004.

Nine surgical interventions examined

In the study, published in the journal Archives of Surgery, nine different common surgical and gynaecological interventions were examined. The results show that open surgery increases the risk of small-bowel obstructions by up to four times compared with surgery using laparoscopic techniques.

Reduced risk of bowel obstruction

"Previous studies have shown reduced adhesions after laparoscopic surgery, but this is the first time we have been able to show that it reduces the risk of small bowel obstruction," says Eva Angenete, researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy and specialist in surgery at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.

The article, "Effect of Laparoscopy on the Risk of Small-Bowel Obstruction: A Population-Based Register Study", was published in Archives of Surgery in April.