Flanges are membranes or strands of scar tissue that usually form after surgery or abdominal inflammation. These scars are able to attach different organs or parts of the intestine to each other, thus causing cases of intestinal occlusion, abdominal pain, infertility or pain during intimate contact.
Abdominal and intestinal flanges are the most common because they occur in a region with many nearby organs and tissues. To treat this situation, it is necessary to perform a laparoscopic surgery, which aims to remove the adhesions, a procedure called flange lysis.
The amniotic flanges are adhesions that form inside the amniotic sac, along the development of the baby, that can bind or tighten the ends of your body, being a risk for the development of deformities or malformations. To learn more about this situation, see what is and what causes amniotic band syndrome.
How they form
Flanges are strands of scar tissue and fibrous, which form days, months or years after surgery . They occur primarily by manipulation and removal of organs during the procedure, especially when there are situations such as contact with surgical gloves, gauze, burns, tissue crushing or decreased blood circulation during cauterizations and sutures.
Thus, flanges can happen in anyone who has undergone abdominal surgery however, these cases are becoming less frequent due to new technologies and better materials used in surgical procedures.
Besides the surgeries, other situations that lead to the appearance of the flanges are:
- Abdominal inflammations, such as after an inflammatory bowel disease or an infection, for example;
- Intestinal ischemias, when blood circulation is stopped, leading to infarction and tissue necrosis;
- Strokes due to injury in accidents;
- Presence of foreign bodies in the abdomen, such as sutures;
- Congenital flanges, which are already born with the person.
All these situations happen by an inflammation or a wrong healing of the tissues in the abdominal organs, of an incorrect and irregular form.
Signals and symptons
Flanges cause adhesions between organs that most often bind different parts of the intestine or other organs such as peritoneum, bladder, uterus, ovaries and stomach, for example. With this, the main consequences of this situation are:
- Abdominal pain;
- Change in bowel rhythm and gas formation;
- Abdominal swelling;
- Nausea and vomiting;
- Pain during intimate contact;
- Infertility and difficulty getting pregnant;
- Intestinal obstruction, in which there is a tightening or narrowing of the intestine, which leads to its "strangulation" and stop stool elimination.
The great majority of cases of obstruction or intestinal occlusion are caused by flanges, which is considered a medical emergency. Therefore, in case of symptoms that indicate this situation, it is necessary to go to the emergency room, since it can provoke intense inflammation intestinal and even risk of death. Learn more about dangers and how to treat bowel obstruction.
How to diagnose flanges
To identify the flanges, the doctor can perform the clinical evaluation and request imaging tests, such as CT, which may show some signs of this situation, however, not always the flanges are visualized through the exams, since they are mixed with the organs.
In this way, when there is great suspicion and when other causes have been excluded with the exams, the flanges can be confirmed during a new surgery, which will detect their locations and remove them.
How is the treatment done?
Treatment to relieve the most common symptoms caused by bridles, such as cramps and abdominal gas, may be recommended by the general practitioner or gastroenterologist, with the use of analgesics, such as Paracetamol, antispasmodic as Hyoscine, and older remedies such as Dimethicone.
However, when flanges cause intense symptoms or a condition of intestinal occlusion, or when they compromise the functioning of other organs, flap lysis surgery may be indicated, preferably laparoscopy, in which there is less manipulation of the abdomen, to remove the scars and adhesions, avoiding the appearance of new flanges. Understand how laparoscopic surgery is done and what laparoscopic surgery is for.
