Ovarian surgery on the rabbit. Effect of cortex closure on adhesion formation and ovarian function.

Surgical reapproximation of serosal surfaces in an attempt to reduce adhesiogenesis remains a controversial issue. For the reproductive gynecologist, this tenet is especially appropriate to the ovarian cortical surface. Using a rabbit model (n = 22), an ovarian unipolar cautery incision was created, and surgical closure versus nonclosure was evaluated. Closure with continuous 6-0 polyglactin resulted in a significant increase in the degree of ovarian adhesion envelopment versus nonclosure (1.8 +/- 0.2 vs. 0.9 +/- 0.2, P less than .01). Surgical closure also resulted in a significant increase in the vascularity of the adhesions (P less than .05). Despite the increase in adhesion formation, ovarian function, as determined by the mean number of corpora lutea, pregnancies and the nidation index, was not different in sutured ovaries, unsutured ovaries or nonsurgically treated controls.