Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026
Creation of Abdominal Adhesions in Mice
Published on: August 27, 2016
Early demonstration of postoperative adhesions in a rodent model
Frank D Yelian1, Valerie I Shavell, Michael P Diamond
1Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201, USA.
Objective:
To assess the cellular and molecular mechanisms of postoperative adhesion development in a rodent model.
Design:
Prospective randomized controlled study.
Setting:
Research laboratory.
Patients:
Thirty sexually mature female Sprague-Dawley rats.
Interventions:
Cecal abrasion.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
At 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 48, 72, 96, 168, 336, and 504 hours after cecal abrasion, one to three rats were sacrificed (n = 26). Four nonabraded rats served as controls. Peritoneal adhesion status was evaluated and tissue was collected for histologic and immunohistochemical investigation.
Results:
Postoperative tissue attachments were identified as early as 2 hours after cecal abrasion. Significant local edema and vessel congestion appeared within 2 hours, and cellular proliferation was observed at 24 hours; angiogenesis and tissue proliferation remained present at 2 weeks. beta1 integrin was highly expressed early and was thereafter decreased. Cellular fibronectin was not detectable until 1 week after cecal abrasion.
Conclusions:
Postoperative adhesions are initiated as rapidly as 2 hours after surgical intervention in this rodent model.
