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This study aimed to investigate the effects of estrogen in combination with aspirin and intrauterine balloon on the uterine endometrial repair and reproductive prognosis in patients after surgery for severe intrauterine adhesion (sIUA). We prospectively recruited 114 patients with sIUA. Intrauterine device (IUD) was placed and oral estrogen was administered after surgery. Patients were divided into control group and aspirin group. In addition, patients in aspirin group were subdivided into nonballoon group and balloon group. Results showed that, after therapy, the increase in endometrial thickness of aspirin groups was superior to control group (P<0.05). The scores of intrauterine adhesion and menstruation were significantly improved in balloon group as compared to nonballoon group and control group, and significant differences were also observed between nonballoon group and control group (P<0.05). Of 97 patients, 44.3% became pregnant after surgery, the live birth rate was 27.8%, and the miscarriage rate was 37.2%, but there were no significant differences among three groups (P>0.05). Thus, aspirin may promote the uterine endometrial growth and repair after surgery for sIUA, and IUD in combination with intrauterine balloon may reduce the recurrence of intrauterine adhesion, but their effect on the reproductive prognosis is required to be further studied.

PurposeAdhesion formation after endometriosis surgery is a severe problem affecting up to 90% of patients. Possible complications include chronic pain, ileus, and secondary infertility. Therefore, effective adhesion prophylaxis is desirable, for which the adhesion barrier 4DryField® PH is evaluated in the present clinical study. It is a starch-based powder that forms a gel after irrigation with saline solution and thus separates surgical sites as physical barrier for adhesion prevention.MethodsFifty patients with extensive and deep infiltrating endometriosis were included in this prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial with two-staged laparoscopic approach. The patients were randomized into two groups, one receiving 4DryField® PH and the other irrigation with saline solution for adhesion prevention. Adhesion formation was directly scored during second-look interventions considering incidence, extent, and severity. Adhesion prevention treatment in the second surgery was performed corresponding to the first intervention to evaluate the long-term outcome in the later course.ResultsBoth groups were comparable with respect to relevant patient parameters. Severity and extent of adhesions were significantly reduced by 85% in the 4DryField® PH group compared to the control group (mean total adhesion score 2.2 vs. 14.2; p = 0.004). Incidence of adhesion formation based on the number of affected sites was significantly reduced by 53% in the intervention vs. control group (mean 1.1 vs. 2.3 sites; p = 0.004). Follow-up of secondary endpoints is not yet completed; results will become available at a later stage.ConclusionAdhesion formation could be reduced significantly by 85% by application of the adhesion barrier 4DryField® PH.Trial registrationTrial registration main ID: DRKS00014720, secondary ID: U1111-1213-4142; date of registration 09th May 2018.

Postoperative adhesions remain one of the more challenging issues in surgical practice. Although peritoneal adhesions occur after every abdominal operation, the density, time interval to develop symptoms, and clinical presentation are highly variable with no predictable patterns. Numerous studies have investigated the pathophysiology of postoperative adhesions both in vitro and in vivo. Factors such as type and location of adhesions, as well as timing and recurrence of adhesive obstruction remain unpredictable and poorly understood. Although the majority of postoperative adhesions are clinically silent, the consequences of adhesion formation can represent a lifelong problem including chronic abdominal pain, recurrent intestinal obstruction requiring multiple hospitalizations, and infertility. Moreover, adhesive disease can become a chronic medical condition with significant morbidity and no effective therapy. Despite recent advances in surgical techniques, there is no reliable strategy to manage postoperative adhesions. We herein review the pathophysiology and clinical significance of postoperative adhesions while highlighting current techniques of prevention and treatment.

Background Postoperative adhesions are the major cause of postoperative complications including intestinal obstruction, infertility, and chronic pelvic pain. In order to reduce postoperative adhesions, Terumo Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) has developed an adhesion barrier system (TCD-11091) which is easy to use at the treatment site in various surgical procedures including laparoscopic surgeries. We conducted a prospective randomized single-blind study in patients who underwent laparotomy with ileostomy. Methods and Results One hundred twenty-six patients were randomly assigned to TCD-11091 group ( n  = 62) or non-treatment group ( n  = 62). Patient backgrounds were similar between the groups. At the time of ileostomy closure (the second-look surgery), the observation was performed on 55 in the TCD-11091 group and 43 in the control group. The incidence of adhesions observed at the second-look surgery was significantly lower in the TCD-11091 group (52.7 versus 90.7%; p  < 0.001). For the secondary endpoints, the incidence of wide extent adhesions (grade 2 or higher) was significantly reduced (38.2 versus 79.1%; p  < 0.001). Regarding the severity of adhesions, the incidence of grade 2 or higher adhesions was also significantly lower in the TCD-11091 group (47.3 versus 88.4%; p  < 0.001). No differences in the incidence of adverse events were found between the TCD-11091 group and the non-treatment group (85.2 versus 75.4%; p  = 0.225). Conclusions Use of TCD-11091 was safe and associated with significantly lower incidence of adhesion and severity of adhesions compared with non-treatment procedure.

Many patients experience cervical adhesions after thyroid surgery. To date, however, no studies have objectively measured the effects of anti-adhesion agents on cervical adhesion symptoms. This study evaluated the effects of an anti-adhesion agent on cervical adhesions after thyroid surgery, as determined using a system that measures the extent of marker movement objectively. One hundred patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to undergo thyroid surgery with or without the anti-adhesion agent Collabarrier. Using specially manufactured recording equipment, the position of the marker on neck skin was measured before surgery, and 2 weeks, 3 months, and 9 months after surgery. Relative change in marker distance, calculated by subtracting the marker position before surgery from the marker positions 2 weeks, 3 months, and 9 months after surgery, differed significantly in the groups of patients who underwent thyroid surgery with and without the anti-adhesion agent (P < 0.05). A novel measuring system can objectively evaluate the effectiveness of a thyroid anti-adhesion agent. The anti-adhesion agent used significantly reduced adhesions compared with the control group. The trial is registered at www.cris.nih.go.kr (KCT0005745; date of registration, 08/01/2021).

PurposeEndometriosis is a benign, but potentially serious gynaecological condition in terms of abdominal pain and impaired fertility. Laparoscopic excision techniques are considered the therapeutic standard. HybridAPC is presented as a novel technique for the non-contact thermal ablation of peritoneal endometriosis with simultaneous protection of the underlying thermosensitive structures by creating a needle-free elevated fluid cushion which enables a safer exposure and distance, as well as potentially improved peritoneal conditioning prior to APC.MethodsIn this prospective randomized clinical trial, 39 patients with 132 superficial endometriotic lesions in total were treated with HybridAPC or sharp excision in an initial laparoscopic procedure according to randomization. In a second-look laparoscopy, adhesion formation was rated macroscopically. Histologic samples were taken from previously treated areas for evaluation of eradication rate.ResultsThe eradication rate was not significantly different between HybridAPC treatment and sharp excision (65 vs. 81%, p = .55). Adhesions formed in 5% of HybridAPC-treated lesions and in 10% after sharp excision (p = .49). HybridAPC treatment was significantly faster than sharp excision (69 vs. 106 s, p < .05). No intra- and postoperative complications were registered.ConclusionThis clinical trial demonstrates the feasibility of this novel surgical technique with a promising impact on adhesion prevention. Compared to sharp excision, HybridAPC is likely to be a safe, tissue-preserving, and fast method for the treatment of peritoneal endometriosis.

Post-operative intra-abdominal adhesions, significantly affecting testicular tissue, are a prevalent and serious complication following laparoscopic surgery. This study investigated the efficacy of boric acid, known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties, in preventing post-operative testicular adhesions. Forty rats, were divided into four groups: control, laparoscopy (LA), boric acid (BA), and LA + BA. Following laparoscopic surgery, BA treatment was administered for seven days. While the adhesion score was around 3 in the LA group, it was 1 or below in the LA + BA group. Testicular tissues were examined by histopathological and biochemical methods. In testis tissues, in the LA group, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased while superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels decreased; these parameters normalized with BA treatment. Additionally, the LA group exhibited reduced levels of IL-10, Bcl-2, Kisspeptin-1, and GnRH, alongside elevated levels of inflammatory markers IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, JNK, BAX, and Caspase 3. BA treatment significantly restored these levels to normal. In conclusion, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis in testicular tissues were associated with post-operative testicular adhesions. BA demonstrated potential as an anti-adhesive agent, reducing testicular adhesions and normalizing biochemical and histological parameters following laparoscopic surgery.

MegaShield® is a newly developed temperature-sensitive anti-adhesive containing micronized acellular dermal matrix. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of MegaShield® compared with Guardix-SG® in the prevention of adhesions in patients undergoing bilateral total thyroidectomy. We conducted a multicenter trial between October 2018 and March 2020 in patients undergoing total thyroidectomy. The patients were randomly assigned to either the MegaShield® group or the Guardix-SG® group. The primary outcome was the esophageal movement using marshmallow six weeks after the surgery and the secondary outcome was the assessed adhesion score. The safety assessment was also evaluated. The study included 70 patients each in the MegaShield® and control (Guardix-SG®) groups. Baseline clinical characteristics, the mean score of marshmallow esophagography, and the sum of adhesion scores were not statistically different between the two groups. Inferiority test demonstrated that the efficacy of MegaShield® is not inferior to that of Guardix-SG®. There were no device-related complications in both groups. The efficacy and safety of MegaShield® were not inferior than those of Guardix-SG®. MegaShield® demonstrated the potential of ADM as a potential future anti-adhesive agent. The name of trial registry CRIS (Clinical Research Information Service) https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/index.jsp. (The full trial protocol can be accessed) Registration number: KCT0003204.

Objective To estimate the disease burden of the most important complications of postoperative abdominal adhesions: small bowel obstruction, difficulties at reoperation, infertility, and chronic pain. Design Systematic review and meta-analyses. Data sources Searches of PubMed, Embase, and Central, from January 1990 to December 2012, without restrictions to publication status or language. Study selection All types of studies reporting on the incidence of adhesion related complications were considered. Data extraction and analysis The primary outcome was the incidence of adhesive small bowel obstruction in patients with a history of abdominal surgery. Secondary outcomes were the incidence of small bowel obstruction by any cause, difference in operative time, enterotomy during adhesiolysis, and pregnancy rate after abdominal surgery. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses were done to study the robustness of the results. A random effects model was used to account for heterogeneity between studies. Results We identified 196 eligible papers. Heterogeneity was considerable for almost all meta-analyses. The origin of heterogeneity could not be explained by study design, study quality, publication date, anatomical site of operation, or operative technique. The incidence of small bowel obstruction by any cause after abdominal surgery was 9% (95% confidence interval 7% to 10%; I2=99%). the incidence of adhesive small bowel obstruction was 2% (2% to 3%; I2=93%); presence of adhesions was generally confirmed by emergent reoperation. In patients with a known cause of small bowel obstruction, adhesions were the single most common cause (56%, 49% to 64%; I2=96%). Operative time was prolonged by 15 minutes (95% confidence interval 9.3 to 21.1 minutes; I2=85%) in patients with previous surgery. Use of adhesiolysis resulted in a 6% (4% to 8%; I2=89%) incidence of iatrogenic bowel injury. The pregnancy rate after colorectal surgery in patients with inflammatory bowel disease was 50% (37% to 63%; I2=94%), which was significantly lower than the pregnancy rate in medically treated patients (82%, 70% to 94%; I2=97%). Conclusions This review provides detailed and systematically analysed knowledge of the disease burden of adhesions. Complications of postoperative adhesion formation are frequent, have a large negative effect on patients’ health, and increase workload in clinical practice. The quantitative effects should be interpreted with caution owing to large heterogeneity. Registration The review protocol was registered through PROSPERO (CRD42012003180).

Abdominal surgeries are lifesaving procedures but can be complicated by the formation of peritoneal adhesions, intra-abdominal scars that cause intestinal obstruction, pain, infertility, and significant health costs. Despite this burden, the mechanisms underlying adhesion formation remain unclear and no cure exists. Here, we show that contamination of gut microbes increases post-surgical adhesion formation. Using genetic lineage tracing we show that adhesion myofibroblasts arise from the mesothelium. This transformation is driven by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling. The EGFR ligands amphiregulin and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor, are sufficient to induce these changes. Correspondingly, EGFR inhibition leads to a significant reduction of adhesion formation in mice. Adhesions isolated from human patients are enriched in EGFR positive cells of mesothelial origin and human mesothelium shows an increase of mesothelial EGFR expression during bacterial peritonitis. In conclusion, bacterial contamination drives adhesion formation through mesothelial EGFR signaling. This mechanism may represent a therapeutic target for the prevention of adhesions after intra-abdominal surgery. Abdominal surgery can often lead to complications including the formation of peritoneal adhesions and the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are still unknown. Here, the authors suggest that bacterial contamination drives adhesion formation through mesothelial EGFR signalling.