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Information on Internal Scar Tissue

Internal scar tissue forms as a result of surgery, injury, inflammation, infection or radiation treatment. The medical term for internal scarring is adhesion. It is different from external scar tissue in the ways that it forms. It can form tethers or a biological barrier. Internal scarring can result in pain and serious complications.

  1. Formation

    • Internal scar tissue is caused by your body's healing process. When the damaged tissue begins to heal, it joins to other tissues. An adhesion is formed when the scar tissues is joined to two other internal surfaces that are not normally connected. They can form within your reproductive organs, such as your ovaries and fallopian tubes, the tissues around your heart, your bowel, your spine or any other area of your body.

    Problems

    • Adhesions can cause a variety of problems such as pelvic pain, infertility, bowel obstruction or painful intercourse. When the internal scar tissue results in a tether, the tissue goes beyond the area that was cut during surgery. A biological barrier is created when the scar tissue forms a wall that does not heal properly. Tethers and biological barriers result in pain when they pull internal tissues out of place.

    Adhesions Related Disorder

    • Adhesions related disorder (ARD) is a condition that involves a group of symptoms that may include chronic pain, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), infertility, bowel obstruction, urinary bladder dysfunction, painful and difficult bowel movements and emotional disorders such as depression and pain during movement. Because the symptoms of ARD are similar to other conditions, sometimes diagnosis is difficult.

    Diagnosis

    • Your doctor may diagnose your condition using tests to rule out other possible conditions. The usual diagnostic tests (x-rays, CT scans, MRIs, ultrasound and blood tests) are not helpful in diagnosing adhesions. After other possibilities have been ruled out, he may need to perform a diagnostic laparoscopy.

    Treatment

    • Sometimes the symptoms of adhesions eventually go away on their own. Treatment of the chronic pain from adhesions may include pain medications. Laparoscopic surgery may be a consideration. Although laparoscopic adhesiolysis is a long and difficult procedure (between two and four hours) it is preferred to open surgery because there is less of a chance of additional adhesions forming. In addition, this type of surgery can be done on an outpatient basis and you can return to your normal activities in about a week.

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