Peritoneal Adhesion Findings during Laparoscopy: Determinants of Occurrence and Effect of Severity on Operative Outcomes in a Nigerian Hospital

CONTEXT: Peritoneal adhesions unlike other immediately recognizable complications of the surgery may produce long-term consequences, which include infertility and intestinal obstruction. AIMS: The study aimed to determine the prevalence, the determinants, and the outcomes of laparoscopic surgery associated with intraperitoneal adhesion findings. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a retrospective observational study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included all laparoscopic gynecological surgeries done between January 2017 and December 2021. Adhesion severity was graded, using the peritoneal adhesion index (PAI), by Coccolini et al. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: The data were analyzed using the SPSS version 21.0. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with adhesion finding during laparoscopy. RESULTS: There were 158 laparoscopic surgeries with 26.6% prevalence of peritoneal adhesions. The prevalence of adhesions among women with previous surgery was 72.7%. Previous peritoneal surgery was a significant determinant of occurrence of adhesions (odds ratio = 8.291, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.464–15.397, P < 0.001), and such patients had significantly (P = 0.025, 95% CI = 0.408–5.704) more severe adhesions (PAI = 11.16 ± 3.94) than those without prior surgery (PAI = 8.10 ± 3.14). Abdominal myomectomy (PAI = 13.09 ± 2.95) was the most important primary surgical determinant of adhesion formation. There was no significant relationship between adhesion occurrence and conversion to laparotomy (P = 0.121) or mean duration of surgery (P = 0.962). Greater adhesion severity was, however, observed in individuals with operative blood loss <100 ml (PAI = 11.73 ± 3.56, P = 0.003) and those hospitalized for ≤2 days (PAI = 11.12 ± 3.81, P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of postoperative adhesions during laparoscopy in our center is comparable to what has been earlier reported. Abdominal myomectomy is associated with the greatest risk and severity of adhesions. Laparoscopy in patients with more severe adhesions resulted in less blood loss and shorter duration of hospitalization, suggesting an association of better outcomes with a cautious approach to adhesions.