Conclusion
In addition to the strategies commonly applied in clinical practice, it is interesting to study and develop new pharmacological approaches that target the intimate mechanisms of intestinal damage observed during POI, such as inflammation and alteration of intestinal permeability. The combined identification and study of new pharmacological agents will improve our understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern postoperative ileus. The work must be continued and on-going progress is essential. Indeed, abdominal surgery has made progress to date with minimally invasive surgery and early rehabilitation protocols. However, recent progress in oncology now allows the tumour or tumour recurrence to be managed at advanced stages through often extensive surgery (Denost et al., 2020). These increasingly frequent treatments, such as cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal carcinomatosis or pelvic recurrence, for example, are a source of POI. New research avenues are essential to promote our understanding of this phenomenon and to develop new pharmacological treatments.