REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1573655
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for Adhesive Intestinal Obstruction (AIO): Theory, Methods and Mechanisms of Action*
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Anorectal Surgery, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
- 2The Third Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of traditional Chinese Medicine, zhengzhou, China
- 3Suzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China
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Adhesive intestinal obstruction (AIO) represents a common postoperative complication, particularly following abdominal surgery, with reported incidence rates varying between 50% and 80%. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has proven clinically effective in managing AIO, offering diverse therapeutic approaches that facilitate multi-pathway and multi-target treatment. Clinical evidence consistently supports the favorable safety profile of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).Nevertheless, several critical challenges remain to be addressed, including its complex multi-component nature, insufficiently elucidated mechanisms of action, lack of precise dosage standards, inconsistencies in decoction preparation methods, inconvenient administration procedures, and a paucity of large-scale, multicenter clinical trials with robust evidence. These barriers hinder the widespread adoption and clinical integration of TCM. Moving forward, large-scale, multicenter studies are essential to further investigate the safety and efficacy of TCM. Moreover, reforms in its administration methods and deeper exploration of its mechanisms in AIO treatment are crucial.
Keywords: Adhesive intestinal obstruction, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese materia medica, Acupuncture, Mechanism
Received: 09 Feb 2025; Accepted: 21 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhou, Yang, Wang, Sun and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Pengfei Zhou, Department of Anorectal Surgery, Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China
Shuai Yan, Suzhou TCM Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Suzhou, 210023, Jiangsu Province, China
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