Creation of a rabbit model for intrauterine adhesions using electrothermal injury

Abstract

The pathogenesis and therapeutic treatment of intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) remain unsolved, highlighting the need for stable and effective experimental animal models. In this study, uterine electrocoagulation of twenty-one female New Zealand White rabbits was carried out to establish an IUA model. As rabbits have two completely separate uterine horns, each rabbit had its own internal control: one uterine horn was given an electrothermal injury (Group A, n=21), and the contralateral uterine horn received no treatment and served as the control (Group B, n=21). The endometrial morphology, number of endometrial glands, area of endometrial fibrosis, and number of implanted fetuses were compared between the two groups. In Group A, the numbers of endometrial glands on Days 7 and 14 and the number of implanted fetuses were significantly lower than those in Group B (P<0.05, P<0.05, and P<0.01, respectively), while the ratio of the area with endometrial stromal fibrosis to the total endometrial area was significantly increased (P<0.01). These results suggest that this method of electrothermal injury is effective for the establishment of a rabbit IUA model between 7 and 14 d after surgery.