Matthew A Goldstein, MA, Kirill Zakharov, DO, Sharique Nazir, MD. NYU Langone Brooklyn
Adhesions are fibrotic bands that form between and among abdominal organs. The most common cause of abdominal adhesions is previous surgery in the area as well as radiation, infection and frequently occurring with unknown etiology. These bands occur among abdominal organs, commonly the small bowel, and can lead to obstruction or remain asymptomatic, akin to the patient discussed here.
Congenital abdominal adhesions are rare and have received little attention in research and field of study. The patient described in this case is a 25-year-old female with a past medical history of morbid obesity, BMI of 45, hypertension and no past abdominal surgical procedures. The patient presented in August 2017 for bariatric surgical consultation and was ultimately taken for an attempted laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy.
Upon entering the abdomen, significant adhesions were encountered and an additional attending was called to assist in identifying the stomach. The splenic flexure was found to be plastered to the diaphragm and the descending and transverse colon were adhered to the anterior surface of the stomach. Additionally, small bowel adhesions encased the area between the right and left hepatic lobes as well as the caudate lobe. After extensive enterolysis, the pylorus remained the only identifiable portion of the stomach. The patient also demonstrated significant hepatomegaly and a wedge resection was performed. The amount of adhesion and matting of the small and large bowel obscured the view of the stomach and the procedure was deemed too dangerous and terminated.
This case represents the uncommon scenario in which an abdomen with no prior surgical history presents with extensive, obscuring adhesions. One such recent study describes the influence of cytokines and proinflammatory states as contributors to obstruction and malrotation in children, but this patient demonstrated no significant history. Further investigation is needed to determine potential etiologies of symptomatic and non-symptomatic congenital adhesions among bariatric patients who fail conservative treatment. Today the patient is doing well and the surgical team will attempt to complete the procedure in the coming months.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 88394
Program Number: P188
Presentation Session: iPoster Session (Non CME)
Presentation Type: Poster