Colorectal Surgery and Inflammatory Bowel Disease | SEPRAFILM

SEPRAFILM® and IBD and Diverticulitis

In the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases including colitis and Crohn’s disease, as well as diverticulitis, there is high potential for reoperation. Adhesions can complicate future surgeries and may lead to substantial morbidities such as small bowel obstructions¹, chronic pelvic pain², and infertility.³

SEPRAFILM has been proven to reduce adhesions, leading to:

Reduced reoperation required for adhesive small bowel obstruction⁴
Reduced reoperative complexity⁵^,⁶
Easier ileostomy reversal⁶
A 75% reduction in the incidence of dense postoperative adhesions⁷

Adhesive small bowel obstruction

SEPRAFILM is proven safe (up to 10 sheets) in the presence of a bowel anastomosis, and did not increase the complication rate when used as directed.⁸ Seprafilm should not be wrapped around a fresh anastomotic suture line. See important safety information below.

Click here for relevant clinical studies

SEPRAFILM application sites following small bowel resection⁹:

Traumatized bowel
Mesentery
Incision site
Female reproductive organs

1. Ellis H, Moran BJ, Thompson JN, Parker MC, Wilson MS, Menzies D, et al. Adhesion-related hospital readmissions after abdominal and pelvic surgery: a retrospective cohort study. Lancet1999;353(9163):1476-1480.

2. Keltz MD, Gera PS, Olive DL. Prospective randomized trial of right-sided paracolic adhesiolysis for chronic pelvic pain. JSLS. 2006;10(4):443-446.

3. DiZerega GS. Peritoneal repair and postsurgical adhesion formation. In: Management of Common Problems in Obstetrics & Gynecology. Mishell DR, Goodwin Murphy T, Brenner PF, eds. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing; 2002: 267-271.

4. Fazio VW, Cohen Z, Fleshman JW, et al. Reduction in adhesive small-bowel obstruction by Seprafilm Adhesion Barrier after intestinal resection. Dis Colon Rectum. 2005;49:1-11.

5. Kusunoki M, Ikeuchi H, Yanagi H, et al. Bioresorbable hyaluronate-carboxymethylcellulose membrane (Seprafilm) in surgery for rectal carcinoma: a prospective randomized clinical trial. Surg Today. 2005;35:940-945.

6. Tang C-L, Seow-Choen F, Fook-Chong S, Eu K-W. Bioresorbable adhesion barrier facilitates early closure of the defunctioning ileostomy after rectal excision. Dis Colon Rectum. 2003;46:1200-1207.

7. Becker JM, Dayton MT, Fazio VW, et al. Prevention of postoperative abdominal adhesions by a sodium hyaluronate-based bioresorbable membrane: a prospective, randomized, double-blind multicenter study. J Am Coll Surg 1996;183;297-306.

8. Beck DE, Cohen Z, Fleshman JW, Kaufman HS, van Goor H, Wolff BG, for the Adhesion Study Group Steering Committee. A prospective, randomized, multicenter, controlled study of the safety of Seprafilm adhesion barrier in abdominopelvic surgery of the intestine. Dis Colon Rectum. 2003; 46:1310-1319.

9. SEPRAFILM Prescribing Information. Cambridge, MA: Genzyme Biosurgery; 2007