is a common life-threatening
complication of surgery or abdominal trauma, typically
caused by adhesions that form as a normal part of the healing
process. When healing from surgery, an inflammatory
response is initiated to recruit the cells necessary to close the
surgical incision and repair the tissues. As a side effect of this
inflammatory response, adhesions formin tissues at and near
the surgical repair due to the presence of collagen and scar
tissue mediators. Adhesions have been suggested to begin
formingwithin hours after abdominal surgery; complications
related to surgery are common in both pediatric and adult
populations