A HYALURONATE BASED GEL FOR THE PREVENTION OF POSTSURGICAL ADHESIONS - EVALUATION IN 2 ANIMAL SPECIES

Objective: To assess in two animal, surgery models, the efficacy of a bioabsorbable gel to prevent postoperative adhesions. Design: A random ized, prospective, blinded study using animal abdominal surgery models . Setting: Two animals species with surgical traumas to induce adhesio n formation. Interventions: A chemically modified hyaluronate and carb oxymethylcellulose-based gel formulation. Main Outcome Measures: The n umber of animals with no adhesions; mean number of adhesions, and tota l adhesion score. Results: Treatment with tile bioabsorbable gel incre ased the number of animals without any adhesion by 70% in a rat cecal. abrasion model and by >90% in a rabbit sidewall defect-bowel abrasion model when compared with nontreatment control animals. Other outcome measures showed similar efficacy. Conclusion: The modified hyaluronate -carboxymethylcellulose gel was effective in two animal species after surgery in the abdominal cavity. The gel appears to act as a physical barrier between damaged peritoneal tissue and may be appropriate for h uman clinical trials in open and laparoscopic surgical procedures.