Abstract
Adhesion may cause infertility, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, bowel obstruction, and other significant postsurgical complications. The aim of the study was to assess the preventive effects of trehalose and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (SCMC) on experimentally induced postsurgical adhesion of internal organs after ovariohysterectomy in a rabbit model. Forty New Zealand white rabbits underwent an ovariohysterectomy in which the visceral organs were desiccated for one hour, either without any protective procedures (control groups A and C) or with trehalose solution (groups B and D) sprayed every 15 min onto the surfaces of the visceral organs. In Group D, the surgical sites were covered by a spray of SCMC and saline solution. The rabbits were sacrificed on postoperative day 14. Adhesion formation and intensity were grossly evaluated and the adhesion tissue was histologically examined. Trehalose tended to decrease the number and severity of adhesions caused by desiccation during surgery between non-operated visceral organ surfaces. The use of SCMC with trehalose decreased adhesion at the sites of surgery (p<0.05). We conclude that trehalose and SCMC together reduce the adhesion of the visceral organs after ovariohysterectomy in the rabbit.
