Objective: To assess the safety and effectiveness of a sprayable, site-specific adhesion barrier system (SprayGel; Confluent Surgical, Waltham, MA) for reduction of adhesion formation.
Design: Prospective, randomized, controlled phase III trial.
Setting: University clinic (Kiel, Germany) and private clinic (Bordeaux, France).
Patient(s): Sixty-six women aged 34.9 years (range, 23-52 years) undergoing laparoscopic or open uterine myomectomy, enrolled over a 15-month period.
Intervention(s): Patients were randomized to receive either optimal surgical treatment plus adhesion barrier or optimal surgical treatment alone, followed by second-look laparoscopy.
Main outcome measure(s): Initial and second-look laparoscopy procedures were assessed for incidence, extent, and severity of adhesions; all patients were followed for safety analysis.
Result(s): When compared with initial surgery, the mean adhesion tenacity score of adhesions seen at second-look laparoscopy was significantly reduced in treatment patients compared with control patients (0.6 vs. 1.7, a 64.7% reduction). Mean adhesion extent score at second-look laparoscopy compared with initial surgery was 4.5 cm(2) vs. 7.2 cm(2), mean adhesion incidence score was 0.64 vs. 1.22. Of 64 patients, 40 (62.5%) returned for second-look laparoscopy.
Conclusion(s): This adhesion barrier was safe, well tolerated, and demonstrated efficacy in a population of patients known to be at risk for adhesion formation. There were no adverse effects attributable to the product and no patients in whom it could not be applied.