Postoperative adhesion formation after laparoscopic uterine horn resection in a porcine model: comparison of five instruments.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the postoperative adhesion formation caused by instruments used in gynecologic laparoscopic surgery and to determine the optimal instruments to use to reduce adhesions.


METHODS
Seventeen juvenile pigs underwent laparoscopic bilateral resection of the uterine horns under general anesthesia and pneumoperitoneum. The laparoscopic procedures were carried out using monopolar electrocautery (ME) (n = 8), an electrothermal bipolar vessel sealer (EBVS) (n = 6), an ultrasonically activated scalpel (UAS) (n = 6), a loop-type ligature (LTL) with a steel scalpel for severing the tissues (n = 6), and an automatic stapling device (ASD) (n = 8). Second- look laparotomy was performed 14 days postoperatively, and the degree of postoperative adhesions was scored from 0 to 6.


RESULTS
The mean and range of adhesion scores were 0.00 with EBVS, 0.13 (range, 0-1) with ASD, 0.33 (range, 0-2) with LTL, 1.17 (range, 0-3) with UAS, and 3.13 (range, 2-6) with ME. We found a statistically significant difference in the extent of postoperative adhesion formation associated with these 5 instruments (P < 0.001, Kruskal-Wallis test).


CONCLUSIONS
Adhesion formation increased in the order EBVS < ASD < LTL < UAS < ME. Our study strongly suggests that surgical instruments can be selected to reduce postoperative adhesion formation, a particular concern in women of reproductive age.
Hirota
Yutaka
Y
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Fujita Health University, Aichi, Japan. yhirota@fujita-hu.ac.jp
Tsukada
Kazuhiko
K
Nishio
Eiji
E
Yoshida
Mariko
M
Tada
Shin
S
Udagawa
Yasuhiro
Y
D000818:Animals; D004598:Electrosurgery / Q000295:instrumentation; D005260:Female; D006489:Hemostatic Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D020706:Laparoscopes; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D008026:Ligation / Q000295:instrumentation; D011028:Pneumoperitoneum, Artificial; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013552:Swine; D000267:Tissue Adhesions / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014599:Uterus / Q000601:surgery*