Bovine peritoneum: fibrinolytic activity and adhesion formation.

The fibrinolytic activity of peritoneum was evaluated in 4-month-old calves before and after peritoneal trauma. In each calf, a peritoneal resection, abrasion, sutured incision, and nonsutured incision were performed. These 4 trauma sites were evaluated for fibrinolytic activity and adhesion formation at 1 of 6 posttrauma intervals (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, or 14 days). Peritoneal plasminogen activator and fibrinolytic inhibitor activities from pre- and posttrauma samples were evaluated, using a fibrin-slide incubation technique. Calf peritoneal specimens consistently had fibrinolytic inhibitor activity, but did not have plasminogen activator activity. Significant differences were not found between fibrinolytic activity before or after trauma and a significant correlation was not found between fibrinolytic activity and the presence of or severity of adhesions.