Flaps are membranes or cords of scar tissue that usually form after abdominal surgery or inflammation. These scars are able to unite different organs or parts of the intestine with each other, thus causing cases of intestinal occlusion, abdominal pain, infertility or pain during intimate contact.
Abdominal and intestinal flaps are the most common, as they occur in a region with many organs and tissues nearby. To treat this situation, it is necessary to perform laparoscopic surgery, which aims to remove adhesions, a procedure called lysis of flaps.
Amniotic flaps, on the other hand, are adhesions that form inside the amniotic sac, during the development of the baby, which can bind or tighten the ends of the body, being a risk for the development of deformities or malformations. To learn more about this situation, see what amniotic band syndrome is and what causes it.
How they form
The flaps are cords of scar and fibrous tissue that form days, months or years after surgery. They happen, mainly, due to the manipulation and removal of organs during the procedure, especially when there are situations such as contact with talc from surgical gloves, gauze, burns, crushing of the tissues or decreased blood circulation during cauterizations and sutures.
Thus, bridles can happen to anyone who has undergone abdominal surgery. However, these cases are less and less frequent due to new technologies and better materials used in surgical procedures.
In addition to surgeries, other situations that lead to the appearance of bridles are:
- Abdominal inflammations, such as after an inflammatory bowel disease or infection, for example; Intestinal ischemias, when blood circulation stops, leading to infarction and tissue necrosis; Strokes, due to trauma in accidents; Presence of foreign bodies in the abdomen, such as sutures; Congenital flaps, which are already born with the person.
All of these situations happen due to an inflammation or wrong healing of the tissues in the abdominal organs, in an incorrect and irregular way.
Signals and symptons
The flaps cause adhesions between organs that, in most cases, connect different parts of the intestine, or also, other organs, such as peritoneum, bladder, uterus, ovaries and stomach, for example. With this, the main consequences of this situation are:
- Abdominal pain; Alteration of intestinal rhythm and gas formation; Abdominal swelling; Nausea and vomiting; Pain during intimate contact; Infertility and difficulty in becoming pregnant; Intestinal obstruction, in which there is a tightening or narrowing of the intestine, which leads to its "strangulation. "and stop stool elimination.
The vast majority of cases of intestinal obstruction or occlusion are caused by bridles, which is considered a medical emergency, so in the case of symptoms that indicate this situation, it is necessary to go to the emergency room, as it can cause intense inflammation. intestinal and even cause risk of death. Learn about the dangers and how to treat intestinal obstruction.
How to diagnose bridles
To identify the bridles, the doctor may perform a clinical evaluation and order imaging tests, such as an abdominal x-ray and computed tomography, which may show some signs of this situation, however, the bridles are not always visualized through exams, since they are located between the organs.
This way, when there is a great suspicion and when other causes have been excluded with the exams, the bandages can be confirmed during a new surgery, which will detect their locations and remove them.
How the treatment is done
The treatment to relieve the most common symptoms caused by bridles, such as cramps and abdominal gases, can be recommended by the general practitioner or gastroenterologist, with the use of painkillers, such as Paracetamol, antispasmodic such as Hyoscine, and anti-gas remedies, such as Dimethicone.
However, when the flaps cause intense symptoms or a picture of intestinal occlusion, or when they compromise the functioning of other organs, flap lysis surgery may be indicated, preferably by laparoscopy, in which there is less manipulation of the abdomen., to remove scars and adhesions, preventing the emergence of new bridles. Understand how laparoscopic surgery is performed and what it is for.
