The recovery of an abdominal procedure depends on many factors, including adhesions. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of four types of suture lines and of adhesions on the tensile strenght of surgical wounds. Sixty Wistar rats were submitted a 5cm laparotomy . The abdomen was closed in two layers with an interrupted suture, using monofilament nylon, polyglicolic acid, plain catgut and chromic catgut . The animals were dividided into three groups: 1- Control; 2- Addition of 0.3 grams of talc into abdominal cavity; 3- Instillation of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and talc into abdominal cavity. The animals were assessed on the 7th and 21st postoperative days. The CMC reduced adhesions (p<0,01). The presence of adhesions was able to enhance the tensile strenght. The type of suture line did not influence the tensile strenght.
Adhesion; Tensile strenght; Rat; Talc; Carboxymethylcellulose
