Heliah S. Oz
University of Kentucky Medical Center, KY USA
Title: Inflammatory diseases, postsurgical tissue adhesion complications, current practices and novel emerging targeted therapies
Biography
Biography: Heliah S. Oz
Abstract
Tissue adhesion occurs following mechanical trauma or extensive inflammatory tissue injuries. Tissue adhesions remain as significant clinical challenges affecting millions of patients each year. Subsequent abdominal surgeries and wound healing, patients may be challenged with formation of postsurgical tissue adhesion (PSTA) complications as consequences of tissue repair. Approximately 65-97% of patients suffer from some types of PSTAs, when an organ surface is damaged due to inadvertent desiccation or trauma. During healing, tissues may firmly attach to the adjacent surfaces by the formation of fibrous scars. The mechanism of PSTA formation is similar to wound healing and response to implants. PSTAs can be asymptomatic, or followed by complications comprise of abdominal or pelvic pain, intestinal obstructions and infertility. Further, these adhesions form complex tissue barriers making subsequent surgical interventions costly and increasingly difficult if not life threatening. In addition to severe negative impact on quality of life, the annual financial expenditure related to PSTA exceeds $1.3 billion. Therefore, effective strategies for preventing PSTA formation remain significant clinical challenges.
In this keynote presentation, the PSTA formations and consequences will be discussed in patients, following in in vitro and in vivo models and the current therapeutic practices and their short comes. In addition, new and emerging strategies to speed wound healing such as utilization of fibrin-targeted PSTA prevention material (e.g. fibrin gel matrix) and nanocomposite-based, biodegradable tissue adhesives will be scrutinized in protecting against adhesion formations without interfering in tissue wound healing process or causing further complications.