A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF THROMBIN AND ELECTRODESICCATIONUSED FOR HEMOSTASIS ON INFLAMMATION AND ADHESION FORMATION

Electrodesiccation or chemical agents, such as thrombin and fibrin sea lant, may be used to control oozing in the peritoneal cavity, Electrod esiccation is time consuming and associated with adjacent thermal dama ge. Adhesion formation remains a concern with the use of thrombin and fibrin sealant. In this study, adhesion formation and various histolog ical parameters of inflammation were evaluated following haemostasis w ith electromicrodesiccation or thrombin in the rabbit model (n = 36), Following laparotomy, the right uterine horn was subjected to a measur ed injury producing sufficient oozing. After the injury was effected, the animals were randomized to haemostasis with electromicrodesiccatio n (n = 18) or thrombin (n = 18), In the first phase of the study, the histological parameters of acute injury and haemostasis with either mo dality were evaluated in two animals in each group. In the second phas e, one, two and 10 animals, in each group, were submitted to second-lo ok laparotomy on post-operative days 2, 7, and 15, respectively and th e type and extent of adhesions were quantified. Histological parameter s of inflammation as well as the type and extent of adhesions were com parable between the two groups. We conclude that local application of thrombin is not associated with a statistically greater degree of post -operative adhesions when compared to electromicrodesiccation.