Impact of a Hydrophilic Polyethylene Glycol-Based Adhesion Barrier After Experimental Celiotomy in Rabbits

A hydrophilic polyethylene glycol-based adhesion barrier (SprayGel™) was tested on intra-abdominal adhesion in conventional celiotomy in rabbits. Twenty healthy male rabbits of the local breed were randomly divided into two equal groups: control and treatment. All the experimental rabbits were first subjected to mid-line conventional celiotomy under general anesthesia. The ascending colon was tracked out of the laparotomy opening, and a sterile soft toothbrush was used mechanically to abrase its serosal and subserosal layers. Before closing the celiotomy opening, 2 ml of sterile saline solution was applied intraperitoneally into the abdominal cavities of the control group. SprayGel™ was applied to the test rabbits' abraded colons before their closures. Postmortem examinations were performed on the 14th and 21st postoperative days to assess intraperitoneal gross pathological changes, and biopsies were collected for histopathological examinations. The macromorphological and micromorphological examinations showed mild postoperative intra-abdominal adhesion changes in the treatment compared to the control. This was confirmed by significantly lowered gross intra-abdominal adhesion scores with the slightest micromorphological changes in the SprayGel™-treated rabbits. Higher scores of gross transperitoneal adhesions were observed in the control rabbits. In addition, histopathological changes were seen as serosal scars, consisting of raised areas of fibrous tissue replacing the muscularis layer of the mechanically abraded ascending colon, often to the submucosa level. SprayGel™ was an effective barrier substance to reduce intra-abdominal adhesions following celiotomy and experimentally induced mechanical serosal and subserosal abrasions to the ascending colon in rabbits.