Should laparoscopic adhesiolysis be used in patients with acute small bowel intestinal obstruction?

Abdominal laparoscopy is a minimally invasive surgical technique in which operations are achieved through incision (usually 2-3 cm) using a laparoscope which is connected to a video camera. Small bowel obstruction is an event that may follow open surgery. According to several studies laparoscopic surgery is technically feasible and safe for the treatment of small bowel obstruction, however little is known about its efficacy in terms of mortality and morbidity.

This review addresses the question if laparoscopic surgery is effective with respect to traditional laparotomy. No randomised controlled trials or prospective controlled clinical trials that compared laparoscopy with laparotomy for small bowel obstruction were identified. Although there was some evidence from case series reports, observational studies and retrospective controlled clinical trial, high quality randomised controlled trials are required on the potential benefit and harms associated with the use of laparoscopy in small bowel obstruction.