ENTEROLYSIS

Enterolysis refers to the removal of adhesions to the bowel. Adhesions, or scar tissue, are dense or filmy
bands of tissue that connect themselves to structures due to injury. An injury can occur from prior
surgery, from infection, or any episode that requires the body to heal itself. An example is a cut on the
skin with a knife. The cut heals and forms a scar, which is a type of adhesion.

Conditions Treated with Enterolysis:

Enterolysis is performed in cases of intestinal obstruction and intraabdominal adhesions.

Background

Left hemicolectomy (left colectomy) is the surgical removal of the left side of the large bowel (see the
first figure below); sigmoid colectomy is the surgical removal of the sigmoid colon (see the second figure
below). These operations are mostly performed for cancers of the left colon and sigmoid colon, hough
they have several other indications, as described later in this article.

Indications for left hemicolectomy are as follows:

 Left-side colon cancer without metastasis

 Left-side colon cancer with metastasis with complications such as bleeding or obstruction

 Left colonic malignant polyp (T1 lesion) that, after polypectomy, reveals high-risk pathologic
features suggesting a high possibility of lymph node metastasis