Reduction of postsurgical adhesion formation with hydrogels synthesized by radiation

Biocompatible and biodegradable hydrogels based on carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyethyleneglycol (PEG) were prepared as physical barriers for preventing surgical adhesions. These interpolymeric hydrogels were synthesized by gamma irradiation crosslinking technique. A 1.5 cm × 1.5 cm of cecal serosa and an adjacent abdominal wall were abraded with bone burr until the serosal surface was disrupted and hemorrhagic but not perforated. The denuded cecum was covered with either CMC/PEG hydrogels or a solution from a CMC/PEG hydrogel. Control rat serosa was not covered. Two weeks later, the rats were sacrificed and the adhesion was scored on a 0-5 scale. Control rat showed a significantly higher incidence of adhesions than either the CMC/PEG hydrogels or a solution from the CMC/PEG hydrogel. In conclusion, these studies demonstrate that CMC/PEG hydrogels have a function of the prevention for an intra abdominal adhesion in a rat model.