Adhesions are a significant consequence of abdominal surgery, including surgery to treat colorectal cancer. Intergel (ferric hyaluronate gel) has been used successfully in gynecologic surgery to prevent adhesions, but its use in colon resection wasn’t well understood.
Researchers randomized patients who were about to undergo colon resection to having Interget placed in the abdominal cavity during the operation or not having the treatment. Initially their goal was to enroll 200 patients, but the study was halted after 32 patients because of the high number of complications in the Intergel group.
65% of the treatment group experienced a surgical complication compared to 27% of the controls. Five patients in the Intergel group had leaks where the colon was reconnected (anastomosis) compared to one control. Ten Intergel patients had prolonged time to recovery of bowel function (ileus) compared to 2 in the control group. There was 1 case of peritonitis. Wound healing problems were also common in the Intergel group but the difference was not significant.
The study, published in the April 2006 issue of Annals of Surgery concluded:
The use of Intergel in abdominal surgery where the gastrointestinal tract is opened leads to unacceptably high rates of postoperative complications.
adhesions colon resection Intergel
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