Background: Anastomotic leakage is one of serious complications of colorectal surgery. Research is inconsistent about whether non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs influence the healing of colorectal anastomoses and increase the incidence of anastomotic leakage.
Objective: To study the influence of NSAIDs on the healing of rat colonic anastomoses.
Design: This was an animal randomized-control trial. This study was approved by the ethical committee of Yangpu Hospital, Tongji University.
Intervention: 90 healthy Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups of 15 rats/group. Trail was performed in C (cotrol group) with no drugs, group M with morphine for analgesia, group F with flurbiprofen axeil, group L with lornoxicam, and group P with parecoxib sodium.
Main outcome measures: The main outcomes measures were serological indexes including vascular endothelial growth factor, prostaglandin E2, hydroxyproline, and C reactive protein; histological specimens from the anastomotic stoma tissue including the collagen proportion, and hydroxyproline, cycloxygenase-2, and vascular endothelial growth factor content; physical indicators, including stoma fracture pressure, fracture strength and anastomotic leakage.
Results: No significant difference was observed among the indices of each group (P > 0.05). A significant difference occurred after operation (P < 0.05), with the data for groups K and M being dramatically higher than those for group F.
Limitation: The study was nonblinded.
Conclusion: The postoperative usages of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can decrease the strength of anastomotic tissue, and increase the incidence of anastomotic leakage.
Keywords: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); anastomotic leakage; colonic anastomotic stoma.