Objective: To in vestigate the efficacy of sodiu m hyaluronate on reducing aclhesions in patients undergoing peritoneal cavity surg ery.Methods:Peritoneum and the surface of the related organs was coated with 3~15 ml sodium hyaluronate gel before closing the peritoneal cavi ty. Findings on 23 reoperations out of 1000 sessions of primary abdominal surge ry with sodium hyaluronate were compared with that of 26 reoperations without t he use of sodium hyaluronate in their first episode of laparotomy during the sa me period.Results:There was not adhesive intestinal obstruction in the treatment group;40 of 1000 patients under went adhesive intestinal ob struction in the control group,and 8 patients had operative treatment;The sev erity of adhesion was graded as 4 degrees. In treatment group,adhesion Ⅰ°,Ⅱ °,Ⅲ°,Ⅳ° Were in 11,9,3 and 0 cases,respectively. Compared with adhesio n Ⅰ°,Ⅱ°,Ⅲ°,Ⅳ° in 1,5,17 and 3 cases in control group,respectively ( P 0.01).Conclusions:These data suggest that sodium hyaluro nate is effective in the prevention of adhesion in patients undergoing abdominal surgery.