The Use of Tamoxifen in Prevention of Adhesions after Flexor Tendons Surgery in Rabbits

Background: Nowadays, peritendinous adhesions after flexor tendons surgery are still a formidable challenge. In this trial, we aim to assess the effects of oral and local tamoxifen administration in prevention of adhesions after flexor tendons surgery in rabbits. Material and Methods: This study was performed on 40 rabbits (10 animals in each group) underwent flexor tendon incision and then randomly subdivided into four groups. Exploratory incision was done after third postoperative day for macroscopic assessment of adhesions. Finally, we compared the properties of oral and local routs of tamoxifen administration at 2.5 mg/kg/day or both of them with the control group 1. Results: Adhesion characteristic and adhesion tenacity score was measured as the last adhesion mark. The results showed that local tamoxifen was more effective than oral tamoxifen application in prevention of adhesion formation. Conclusion: Our present results confirm that local tamoxifen administration can reduce the postoperative flexor tendon adhesion scores significantly; thus it might have a great benefit in patient’s outcome after surgery.