Originally published August 6 2005
Scar-free C-sections are possible
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new study claims that a controversial C-section method is actually better for the mother.
A controversial surgical procedure that has lost favor among medical professionals may benefit women who have had caesarean sections.
So say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, who have found that closing the parietal peritoneum, a multi-layered membrane that lines the abdomino-pelvic walls, substantially decreases the likelihood of scarring that can make future C-sections more difficult.
The finding on this link between peritoneum closure and fewer adhesions (scars that form abnormal connections between two parts of the body) runs contrary to current literature on the drawbacks of the procedure in non-pregnant women and contrary to current thinking among many surgeons.
"This was a surprise finding," said Deirdre Lyell, MD, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and lead author of a paper appearing in the August issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
More than 1 million caesareans - just over 27 percent of all births in the United States-are performed each year.
However, Lyell said there is a lack of literature on the long-term impact of various parts of the procedure, including the closure of a woman's peritoneum following delivery.
Although the tradition had been to close the peritoneum following delivery, recent short-term studies have linked such closures with increased operation time and postoperative pain.
There has also been concern that closure of the peritoneum at caesarean may lead to adhesions-which can cause problems such as bowel obstruction, chronic pelvic pain and infertility, and can make future surgeries longer and more difficult-though such a connection lacks sufficient supporting data.
The researchers found that patients whose peritoneum was surgically closed following their first delivery were significantly less likely to have developed abdominal adhesions: 52 percent of patients with prior closure had adhesions versus 73 percent of non-closure patients.
When controlling for potential confounding variables, the researchers determined that closing the peritoneum offered five times as much protection against the formation of adhesions as leaving it open.
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