Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2018 Apr;97(16):e0450.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000010450.

Treatment by ultrasound-guided local infiltration in adhesion-related abdominal pain and intractable hiccups: A case report

Dan Zhu  1 , Zhi-Yong Gu, Chia-Shiang Lin, Fa-Chuan Nie, Jian Cui
Affiliations
Case Reports

Treatment by ultrasound-guided local infiltration in adhesion-related abdominal pain and intractable hiccups: A case report

Dan Zhu et al. Medicine (Baltimore). 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Rationale: Abdominal pain and hiccups secondary to intra-abdominal adhesion are surgical complications that are often treated by painkillers and secondary surgeries with an unsatisfactory therapeutic effect. This study presents a new treatment method that uses ultrasound-guided local infiltration in peritoneal and abdominal wall adhesions in patients with hiccups and abdominal pain.

Patient concerns: A 62-year-old patient presented to our hospital with a history of intractable hiccups and abdominal pain for 30 years.

Diagnoses: Her abdominal examination revealed a scar with an approximate length of 10 cm on the abdominal umbilical plane; pressing the right scar area could simultaneously induce abdominal pain and hiccups. Intraperitoneal computed tomography examination clearly demonstrated that the bowel had no obvious expansion. Ultrasonographic examination found that peritoneal motility below the normal peritoneal adhesion regions was significantly slower than in the normal regions. The diagnosis of chronic postoperative pain syndrome was clear.

Interventions: The symptoms were significantly alleviated by a successful treatment with ultrasound-guided local infiltration in the peritoneal and abdominal wall scar adhesions.

Outcomes: After 3 stages of hospitalization and 1 year of follow-up, the patient's abdominal wall pain was relieved by approximately 80% and hiccups were relieved by approximately 70%.

Lessons: The above treatment is a useful option for managing abdominal adhesion and accompanying pain or hiccups resulting from abdominal surgery. This method could ease the psychological and economic burden of patients and improve their quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Abdominal CT showed no obvious expansion of the bowel. CT = computed tomography.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ten Broek RPG, Stommel MWJ, Strik C, van Laarhoven CJHM, Keus F, van Goor H. Benefits and harms of adhesion barriers for abdominal surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet 2014;383:48–59. - PubMed
    1. Romagnuolo J, Morris J, Palesch S, Hawes R, Lewin D, Morgan K. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery versus laparoscopic surgery for inadvertent colon injury repair: feasibility, risk of abdominal adhesions, and peritoneal contamination in a porcine survival model. Gastrointest Endosc 2010;71:817–23. - PubMed
    1. Hesselman S, Högberg U, Råssjö EB, Schytt E, Löfgren M, Jonsson M. Abdominal adhesions in gynaecologic surgery after caesarean section: a longitudinal population-based register study. BJOG 2018;125:597–603. - PubMed
    1. Mutsaers SE. The mesothelial cell. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2004;36:9–16. - PubMed
    1. Yung S, Chan TM. Mesothelial cells. Perit Dial Int 2007;27:110–5. - PubMed

Publication types

Substances