Materials in surgery: a review of biomaterials in postsurgical tissue adhesion and seroma prevention

Postoperative tissue adhesion is a complex inflammatory disorder in which tissues that normally remain separated in the body grow into each other. Seroma is a common postoperative complication that arises when serous fluid collects in the space generated following surgeries that require extensive dissection and that create large empty spaces. Postsurgical tissue adhesion and seroma formation are two serious surgical complications that have received more attention recently from the biomaterials community. This paper provides a review of the pathogenesis and treatment of these surgical complications, with a thorough overview of biomaterial-based treatment and prevention methods.