Postoperative adhesions are the primary cause of occlusion of the small bowel.
We evaluated the feasibility and the immediate postoperative resultsof laparoscopic procedures for acute adhesions on the small bowel. BetweenSeptember 1992 and March 1995, we performed laparoscopic procedures in 35patients with acute occlusion of the small bowel. The preoperative work-up highly suggestive of adhesion. There were 17 males and 18 females, mean age 48.2 years. In 30 patients, the operation confirmed the preoperative diagnosis of occlusion by adhesions.