Effects of bromopride on the healing of left colon anastomoses of rats.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effects of bromopride on the formation of adhesions and anastomotic healing in the left colon of rats.

METHODS

We divided 40 rats into two groups of 20 animals, administration of bromopride (study group-E) or saline (control group-C). Each group was divided into subgroups containing 10 animals each for euthanasia in the third (C3 and E3) or the seventh (E7 and C7) postoperative days. The rats were submitted to section of the left colon and end-to-end anastomosis. On the day of reoperation, we evaluated the total amount of adhesions and removed a colonic segment containing the anastomosis for histopathological analysis, assessment of rupture strength and hydroxyproline concentration.

RESULTS

There was no difference between groups in relation to clinical outcome. Two animals in the study group had blocked anastomotic leakage. The animals that received bromopride had the number of intracavitary adhesions and adhesions to the anastomosis similar to the control group. The anastomoses from the group E3 animals showed lower resistance to rupture the one from the C3 group (p = 0.04). This effect did not occur on the seventh postoperative day (p = 0.37). There was no significant difference between groups in relation to histopathology and hydroxyproline concentration in the anastomoses.

CONCLUSION

The use of bromopride was associated with decreased tensile strength of left colon anastomosis in rats in the third postoperative day.