Study shows macrophages cause excess scarring after surgery
The body is amazing at healing itself. However, sometimes it can overdo it. Excess scarring after abdominal and pelvic surgery within the peritoneal cavity can lead to serious complications and sometimes death.
The peritoneal cavity has a protective lining containing organs within our abdomen. It also contains fluid to keep the organs lubricated. When the lining gets damaged, tissue and scarring can form, creating problems.
Researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of Bern, Switzerland, have discovered what s causing the excess scarring and options to try to prevent it. This is a worldwide concern. Complications from these peritoneal adhesions cause pain and can lead to life-threatening small bowel obstruction, and infertility in women, says Dr. Joel Zindel, MD, University of Bern, Switzerland, and first author on the study who worked on this research as a Swiss National Science Foundation research fe
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IMAGE: This is the view through a multi-photon microscope as macrophages (red) congregate at an injury site (green). view more
Credit: Supplied by Kubes Lab, Snyder Institute for Chronic Disease, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary
The body is amazing at healing itself. However, sometimes it can overdo it. Excess scarring after abdominal and pelvic surgery within the peritoneal cavity can lead to serious complications and sometimes death. The peritoneal cavity has a protective lining containing organs within our abdomen. It also contains fluid to keep the organs lubricated. When the lining gets damaged, tissue and scarring can form, creating problems. Researchers at the University of Calgary and University of Bern, Switzerland, have discovered what s causing the excess scarring and options to try to prevent it.
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VIDEO: How do dangerous adhesions in the abdominal cavity develop? Researchers at the University of Bern and University Hospital Bern, in collaboration with the University of Calgary, have found out using. view more
Credit: University of Bern
Scars inside the abdomen, known as adhesions, form after inflammation or surgery. They can cause chronic pain and digestive problems, lead to infertility in women, or even have potentially life-threatening consequences such as intestinal obstruction. If adhesions develop, they must be operated on again. They also make subsequent surgical interventions more difficult. This leads to substantial suffering for those affected and is also a significant financial burden for the healthcare system. In the USA alone, adhesions in the abdomen result in healthcare costs of 2.3 billion dollars per year.