Epidural fibrosis is a frequent complication of lumbar disc surgery, however its influence on incidence of failed back surgeries remains controversial. A bilateral laminectomy (L2–L4) with associated disc injury was performed in 32 adult male Wistar rats. In three experimental groups (n=8 each), spinal cord on laminectomy site was covered with thin layer of gel: alginate, chitosan, or mixture of both. Control group (n=8) was left without treatment. After 4 or 8 weeks, rats (n=4 for each group) were sacrificed and spinal lumbar segments with surrounding muscles were removed and prepared for histologic analysis. Transverse and longitudinal sections were subjected to Masson-Goldner Trichrome staining and examined for severity of epidural fibrosis. Epidural scarring of variable density was found in all laminectomy sites. All experimental groups showed less epidural fibrosis, dural adhesion, fibroblast density, foreign body reaction, and nerve root retraction as compared to the control group. However, no significant differences were found between experimental groups. We suggest that both chitosan and alginate gels form effective barriers for collagen penetration preventing spinal cord from epidural fibrosis following disc injury.
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