Pharmacological prevention of postoperative adhesions experimentally induced in the rat.

In order to evaluate the preventive action of certain drugs in the formation of adhesions, three different types of trauma were induced in the uterine horns of 105 female Wistar rats. The animals were divided into six groups of 15 rats each and to each group was administered respectively: aprotinin i.p.; hydrocortisone i.p.; dextran 70 i.p.; colchicine i.p.; saline i.p.; colchicine i.m. One more group of 15 rats was left without treatment, as control. Four weeks later the adhesions were evaluated according to a qualitative/quantitative score and the results analysed using advanced statistical analysis. Aprotinin achieved the best results both in and around the trauma areas. Dextran produced an overall reduction of adhesions, but showed no specific effect on the trauma areas. The other substances failed to improve the adhesion situation.