A role for the fibrinolytic system in postsurgical adhesion formation

article
To look for evidence of a fibrinolytic insufficiency as a cause of adhesion formation. Retrospective and prospective study. University medical center. Retrospective study: 50 patients undergoing laparoscopy, divided into patients with and without endometriosis. Prospective study: 18 patients undergoing infertility surgery involving a second-look laparoscopy. During all surgical procedures, adhesions were scored, and peritoneal fluid and plasma were collected. Parameters of the fibrinolytic system were measured to establish a possible relation with the presence and formation of adhesions. In patients with endometriosis and adhesions, significantly higher peritoneal fluid concentrations were found for plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and plasminogen, compared with patients with endometriosis but without adhesions. In the prospective study, initial peritoneal PAI-1 concentrations correlated significantly with the extent of adhesion formation (rs = 0.49) and adhesion-improvement scores (rs = -0.52). Also, the change in concentration of tPA and fibrinogen from the initial surgical procedure to the second-look laparoscopy correlated significantly with adhesion-improvement scores (ΔtPA: rs= 0.50; Δfibrinogen: rs = -0.64). This first prospective study in humans adds further weight to the hypothesis that adhesions are caused by an insufficiency in peritoneal fibrinolytic activity. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 is a potential marker for the identification of patients at risk for developing adhesions. © 2005 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Chemicals / CAS: fibrinogen, 9001-32-5; plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, 140208-23-7; plasminogen, 9001-91-6; tissue plasminogen activator, 105913-11-9; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; Tissue Plasminogen Activator, EC 3.4.21.68
TNO Identifier
238279
ISSN
00150282
Source
Fertility and Sterility, 83(1), pp. 122-129.
Pages
122-129
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