ArticleLangenbeck's archives of surgery2026
Classifying the structural heterogeneity of peritoneal adhesions by histopathological extracellular matrix characteristics.
Article in Langenbeck's archives of surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeritoneal adhesions are a common complication following abdominal surgery and contribute substantially to long-termmorbidity, including bowel obstruction, chronic pain, and infertility. Their diverse clinical presentation, ranging from thin strands todense obstructive bands, suggests multiple underlying pathomechanisms. We propose a histopathological framework for classifyingperitoneal adhesions based on extracellular matrix characteristics, providing a microscopic correlation to clinical heterogeneity andsupporting translational research on adhesion prevention.
methodsIn this study, adhesions from 77 patients were examined histologically. Masson's Trichrome staining was used to visualize the extracellular matrix, enabling classification into five clusters based on qualitative histological analysis: stringy, dense, loose, fatty, and mixed.
resultsThe "stringy" and "dense" clusters exhibited the highest extracellular matrix fraction and vessel area, whereas the"loose" and "fatty" clusters displayed lower ECM density and vascularity. Immunohistochemical staining for αSMA (myofibroblasts) and PGP9.5 (nerve fibers) further revealed cluster-specific differences in myofibroblast presence and innervation. Cluster distribution was significantly associated with clinical parameters, including adhesion load and prior peritonitis.
conclusionsThis is the first study to systematically categorize peritoneal adhesions byextracellular matrix characteristics, identifying five distinct histopathological phenotypes. Our findings highlight the structural andcellular diversity of adhesions, offering new insights with potential implications for understanding adhesion pathophysiology andguiding future therapeutic strategies. Validation in larger cohorts will be essential to confirm this framework and establish its clinicalutility.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.