Effect of Botulinum Toxin A - Lidocaine on Experimental Abdominal Wall Defect Healing in Rats

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Botulinum Toxin A (Botox) and lidocaine on the repair of abdominal muscle defects. This study was conducted on 40 rats in four groups. Animals during experimental abdominal wall defect creation and before closing the defect in the Botox group, 5 units of Botox, in the lidocaine group 1 ml of 1% lidocaine, in the Botox-lidocaine group 10 units of Botox with lidocaine with a final volume of 1 cc and in the control group received normal saline in a volume of 1 ml. Each group was divided into two subgroups. Each subgroup animal was sacrificed on days 6 and 12, respectively, after surgery, and after taking a sample, it was examined macroscopically and microscopically. In macroscopic evaluation on both days 6 and 12 after surgery, the highest muscle tension (stretching of the muscles in the nipple area and a significant reduction in abdominal volume) belonged to the normal saline group and the lowest to the Botox and Botox-lidocaine groups. In microscopy on day 6, in normal saline and lidocaine groups, a wider area of granulation tissue and a large number of inflammatory cells were observed, and in the Botox and Botox-lidocaine groups, a less limited amount of granulation tissue was observed. On day 12, in the control and lidocaine groups, a large level of granulation tissue and fibroblasts was observed, while in the Botox and Botox-lidocaine groups, a very small amount of connective tissue was seen at the incision site. Animals receiving normal saline had significantly more inflammation than the groups receiving Botox and Botox lidocaine. According to the results, it seems that topical administration of Botox-lidocaine combination can be a good solution to reduce suture tension and prevent rupture of abdominal sutures.