Efficacy and safety of seprafilm for preventing postoperative abdominal adhesion: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Background There is no clear consensus on the efficacy and safety of hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose membrane (Seprafilm) for preventing postoperative abdominal adhesion. This study is a meta-analysis of the available evidence. Methods A search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library identified eight studies that met the inclusion criteria for data extraction. Estimates of effectiveness were performed using fixed- and random-effects models. The effect was calculated as an odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) using the statistical software Review Manager Version 4.2. Level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Outcomes of 4203 patients were studied. The incidence of grade 0 adhesions among Seprafilm-treated patients was statistically significantly more than that observed among control group patients (OR 95%CI, 3.74-20.34; p < 0.01). There was no significant difference in the incidence of grade 1 adhesions between Seprafilm and control groups (OR 95%CI, 0.58-2.71; p = 0.56). The severity of grade 2 and grade 3 adhesions among Seprafilm-treated patients was significantly less than that observed among control group patients (OR 95%CI, 0.22-0.93; p = 0.03; OR 95%CI, 0.09-0.63; p < 0.01, respectively). The incidence of intestinal obstruction after abdominal surgery was not different between Seprafilm and control groups (OR 95%CI, 0.78-1.23; p = 0.84). Using Seprafilm significantly increased the incidence of abdominal abscesses (OR 95%CI, 1.06-2.54; p = 0.03) and anastomotic leaks (OR 95%CI, 1.18-3.50; p = 0.01). Conclusions Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed that Seprafilm could decrease abdominal adhesions after general surgery, which may benefit patients, but could not reduce postoperative intestinal obstruction. At the same time, Seprafilm did increase abdominal abscesses and anastomotic leaks.