The effect of amniotic fluid on intraperitoneal adhesion formation--an experimental study.

In an attempt to investigate the relative paucity of intraperitoneal adhesions after cesarean sections, we tested the effect of amniotic fluid on adhesion formation in rat model. Trauma was induced to the uterine serosa in 40 rats. Amniotic fluid was intraperitoneally instilled in 20 rats and saline in another 20 rats acting as controls. No inhibitory effect of the amniotic fluid could be demonstrated. The effect of the amniotic fluid and the saline solutions on fibroblastic proliferation was examined in vitro using fibroblastic cell cultures. No direct effect on fibroblast proliferation was found. It is concluded that it is not the direct effect of the spilled amniotic fluid that inhibits adhesion formation after the performance of cesarean sections.