Surgical Adhesions Summit Showcases Noteworthy Advances in Adhesion Formation, Prevention

Anderson D, Wiseman D, Foster D, et al. Proceedings of the American College of Surgeons Adhesions Improvement Project Summit. J Am Coll Surg. 2025, in press.

The ACS Surgical Adhesions Improvement Project Summit was convened in September of 2024 to foster collaboration, enhance understanding, and develop standardized approaches to improve prevention and management of surgical adhesions. This conference was a product of a generous gift from the Carlino family, which donated $1 million to the ACS for the study of treatment and prevention of surgical adhesions following abdominal operations.

Discussion of adhesion prophylactic agents (Guardix™, Seprafilm™) concluded that these agents, especially Guardix, likely reduced small bowel obstruction events, but data from available studies was weak.

The participants encouraged the use of patient-reported outcomes (pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, quality of life) in research efforts focusing on adhesion-conditions. They also concluded that the SBO-Q scoring system included most adhesion-relevant symptoms, but the lack of specificity severely limited its usage.

Use of Cine MRI was recommended as a valuable innovation for improved diagnosis of adhesive small bowel obstruction. A detailed description of the discussion on basic science aspects of adhesion formation was presented. Interested surgeons are encouraged to review this content. There are dramatic advances in the basic science of adhesion formation and prevention currently underway that were reviewed.

The summit concluded with a recommendation that a multidisciplinary group be formed to facilitate future research leading to reduced patient burden and improved quality of care.