Adhesive small bowel obstruction: where do we stand now?

Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) is one of the most frequently encountered disorders in Emergency Surgery Departments worldwide without negligible hospital admission rates and social costs (1,2). Notwithstanding significant improvements in techniques and materials, intra-abdominal adhesions following abdominal surgery still represent a major unsolved and debated issue harbouring challenges regarding diagnosis, pathogenesis, management and  revention. In this setting, the cornerstone lies on a proper nosological classification with a subsequent diagnostic dilemma in distinguishing ASBO from other causes of obstruction and in an early identification of emergency surgery cases. conflicting results raise more questions.