D. Bowers et al., Growth hormone treatment after cesarean delivery in rats increases the strength of the uterine scar, AM J OBST G, 185(3), 2001, pp. 614-617
OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine whether postcesarean treatment of rats wi
th growth hormone (GH) affected the strength of the uterine incision in the
puerperium and in a subsequent pregnancy.
STUDY DESIGN: Forty-eight near-term pregnant rats were delivered by cesarea
n section. Half received subcutaneous recombinant human GH (2.0 mg.kg(-1).d
(-1)) for 7 days; control animals received saline injections. Four weeks af
ter delivery, the uterine bursting pressure was determined in 5 treated and
5 control animals. Eight rats in each group were used to study uterine hyd
roxyproline concentrations and the histologic characteristics of the scar.
Twenty-two animals were rebred 30 to 40 days after their cesarean sections.
After repeat cesarean delivery, on day 19, the bursting pressure and hydro
xyproline concentrations of the previous hysterotomy scar were determined.
RESULTS: The uterine horn bursting pressure in the GH-treated animals was s
ignificantly greater than that in the control animals both 28 days postpart
um and near term in a subsequent pregnancy. The uterine hydroxyproline conc
entrations followed the same pattern. Histologic study of the scars showed
they were thicker and had less cellularity in the treated animals than in t
he control animals.
CONCLUSION: Postcesarean treatment with GH increased the bursting strength
of rat uterine incisions. This effect was accompanied by a significant incr
ease in collagen content and persisted through a subsequent pregnancy.