[The medical treatment of intestinal obstruction due to adhesions and adherences].

Adhesions are the most common cause of intestinal obstruction. Medical treatment for those patients with no signs of vascular involvement has been successful in many cases. We reviewed the clinical records of 87 patients with intestinal obstruction due to adhesions, having a total of 122 episodes. Satisfactory follow up was obtained in 76% of patients for a mean of 29.6 months. 47% of episodes resolved without need for surgical intervention. Volume entrapment during the first hours was correlated with need for surgical treatment (p < 0.01). Recurrences were not different between medical and surgical patients (p = 0.28). Thus, medical treatment of this type of intestinal obstruction may be attempted in most patients, not only those who are poor surgical risks.