Abstract
BACKGROUND
Postoperative intra-abdominal adhesions after GI surgery constitute a major burden for health care provision globally, causing chronic abdominal symptoms and necessitating repeated surgical intervention.
OBJECTIVE
This systematic review examines safety and efficacy data for current anti-adhesion strategies after GI surgery.
DATA SOURCES
PubMed, Medline, and Embase databases were searched for randomized control trials and nonrandomized clinical studies of anti-adhesion products from January 1980 to October 2013.
STUDY SELECTION
A list of predefined search terms was combined with the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy to identify studies.
INTERVENTION
The use of an anti-adhesion strategy was investigated.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
The primary outcome was the safety profile of anti-adhesion products. Secondary outcomes included the analysis of the reduction in the incidence, extent, and severity of adhesions; incidence of bowel obstruction; quality-of-life data; and oncological outcomes.
RESULTS
In total, 24 articles were included in the qualitative analysis: 17 randomized controlled trials and 7 nonrandomized studies, reporting on 5 anti-adhesion products. Data suggest that anti-adhesive products may be used safely; however, hyaluronic acid-based products should not be placed in contact with an anastomosis. The most studied product, a hyaluronic acid/carboxymethylcellulose membrane, reduces the incidence, extent, and severity of adhesions but without strong evidence of prevention of bowel obstruction.
LIMITATIONS
The size and quality of available studies varied greatly, reflected by the Jadad and MINORS scores. The majority of studies reported the use of a single product, hyaluronic acid/carboxymethylcellulose membrane.
CONCLUSIONS
Limiting adhesion formation after GI surgery is feasible. More evidence is needed regarding the efficacy in reducing chronic abdominal symptoms, repeated operative intervention, and improving quality of life.
Collapse