Introduction
Postoperative ileus is a common condition occurring after abdominal surgery and reflecting a deceleration or complete arrest in intestinal motility (Venara et al., 2020). This complication is extremely frequent and varies according to the series, affecting between 10% and 25% of patients following abdominal surgery (Chapman et al., 2018). The postoperative ileus (POI) induces its own morbidity and prolongs the length of hospital stays. The costs associated with POI are considerable. In the USA, the annual total care costs for all paralytic ileus hospitalisations increased from 7.1 billion dollars in 2001 to 12.3 billion dollars in 2011 (Solanki et al., 2020). This review addresses current knowledge on mechanisms responsible for POI and the pharmacological strategies currently employed or under development to prevent or reduce POI.