Creation of Abdominal Adhesions in Mice

Summary

Abdominal adhesions that form after surgery are a major cause of pain, infertility, and hospitalization and reoperation for small bowel obstruction. Our surgical procedure for creating abdominal adhesions in mice is a reliable tool to study the mechanisms underlying the formation of adhesions.

Abstract

Abdominal adhesions consist of fibrotic tissue that forms in the peritoneal space in response to an inflammatory insult, typically surgery or intraabdominal infection. The precise mechanisms underlying adhesion formation are poorly understood. Many compounds and physical barriers have been tested for their ability to prevent adhesions after surgery with varying levels of success. The mouse and rat are important models for the study of abdominal adhesions. Several different techniques for the creation of adhesions in the mouse and rat exist in the literature. Here we describe a protocol utilizing abrasion of the cecum with sandpaper and sutures placed in the right abdominal sidewall. The mouse is anesthetized and the abdomen is prepped. A midline laparotomy is created and the cecum is identified. Sandpaper is used to gently abrade the surface of the cecum. Next, several figure-of-eight sutures are placed into the peritoneum of the right abdominal sidewall. The abdominal cavity is irrigated, a small amount of starch is applied, and the incision is closed. We have found that this technique produces the most consistent adhesions with the lowest mortality rate.

Introduction

Abdominal adhesions are a form of scar tissue that form in the abdomen in response to inflammation, typically following surgery or intraabdominal infection. Adhesions are a major cause of chronic abdominal pain and infertility, and are the most common cause of small bowel obstruction¹. The presence of adhesions makes performing a second abdominal operation more difficult and increases the likelihood of complications².

Despite years of research, the mechanisms underlying the formation of adhesions remain poorly understood. It is known that an initial injury to the peritoneal surface causes an exudation of fibrin-rich fl....

Protocol

The following protocol has been approved by the Stanford University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and complies with all institutional ethical guidelines regarding the use of research animals.

1. Creation of Abdominal Adhesions

1. Start the mouse on antibiotic chow diet one week prior to the procedure.
2. Autoclave the surgical instruments and pre-warm the saline irrigation solution.
3. Anesthetize the mouse using 2% inhaled isoflurane.
4. Using a hair clipper followed by a quick application (5 - 10 sec) of depilatory agent, remove the hair from the majority of the surface of the abdomen. T....

Results

At seven days after surgery, the cecum and possibly ascending colon, liver, and loops of small bowel should be adherent to the right-sided abdominal wall. (Figure 8) Excised tissue can be embedded and sectioned and will yield excellent histological slides. (Figure 11, 12)

When the procedure is performed properly, 100% of mice should have substantial adhesions at seven days. Mortality should be l.......

Discussion

The critical steps in this procedure are: thoroughly abrading the cecum without causing perforation, placing sutures in the abdominal sidewall, and applying the right amount of starch. Only apply sandpaper to the cecum, or to a small specific portion of the bowel. Wide use of sandpaper on large amounts of small bowel tends to cause significant ileus. Take care to abrade the cecum with enough force that the surface becomes rough, but not so much that the wall tears. Finding this balance can take some time. Always handle t.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
Fisherbrand Absorbent Underpads, 20" x 24"	Fisher Scientific	14-206-62
Polylined Sterile Field, 18" x 24"	Busse Hospital Disposables	696	Cut a rectangular hole of the appropriate size
Isothesia isoflurane	Henry Schein	050033
Fisherbrand Sterile cotton gauze pad, 4" x 4"	Fisher Scientific	22-415-469
Puralube petrolatum ophthalmic ointment, 1/8 oz. tube	Dechra Veterinary Products	NDC 17033-211-38
Nair depilatory cream	Church & Dwight Co.	22339-05
Buprenex buprenorphine  0.3 mg/ml	Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc.	NDC 12496-0757-5
1 cc insulin syringe, 27 G	Becton Dickinson	329412
Povidone Iodine Prep Solution	Medline	MDS093944H
Webcol alcohol prep swabs	Covidien	6818
General-Purpose Labarotory Labeling tape	VWR	89097-912
BioGel PI surgical gloves	Mölnlycke Health Care	ALA42675Z
Micro Forceps with teeth	Roboz	RS-5150
Fine scissors- sharp	Fine Science Tools	14060-09
Straight serrated forceps	Fine Science Tools	11050-10
Castro-Viejo needle driver	Fine Science Tools	12565-14
100 grit 1/4 sheet sandpaper	ACE Hardware	1010446	Cut into strips
4-0 silk suture, 30", SH needle	Ethicon	K831
7-0 PDS II absorbable monofilament suture, 30", BV-1 needle	Ethicon	Z135	Usually comes double-armed. Cut the suture at the midway point to generate two usable sutures.
Rice starch	MP Biomedicals	102955
0.9% Sodium Chloride Irrigation	Baxter	BHL2F7121	Warm to 37 °C prior to use
10 ml syringe	Becton Dickinson	309604
6-0 Vicryl absorbable braided suture, 18", RB-1 taper needle	Ethicon	J212H
6-0 Ethilon nylon monofilament  suture, 18", P-3 needle,	Ethicon	1698G
Tegaderm Transparent Film Dressing Frame Style, 6 cm x 7 cm	3M	1624W	Cut in half lengthwise