The intestinal flora influences adhesion formation around surgical anastomoses.

Abstract

Postsurgical adhesion formation is still a cause of postoperative morbidity because no satisfactory treatment or prophylaxis has yet been developed. The present study was designed to investigate the influence of the gastrointestinal flora on adhesion formation around surgical anastomoses. Anastomoses were constructed in germfree, conventional, ex-germfree and mono- contaminated rats (Escherichia coli X7 and Lactobacillus acidophilus La5), and adhesion formation was recorded. The germfree group had a significantly lower adhesion score than all other groups (P < 0.05) apart from the lactobacillus group, which had a significantly lower score than the conventional group (P < 0.05). The bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract enhances adhesion formation around surgical anastomoses.