Secondary peritonitis: severity of disease and activation of peritoneal cells.

Objective: To compare the degree of the inflammatory response of human peritoneum with the severity of peritonitis.

Design: Clinical laboratory study.

Setting: University hospital, Germany.

Subjects: 15 patients with diffuse secondary peritonitis and 5 having conventional cholecystectomy (controls) had peritoneal specimens taken from the site of incision.

Main Outcome Measures: Correlation between presence of indicators of the inflammatory response: interleukin 1 (IL-1), interleukin 6 (IL-6), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), antibacterial protein (defensin 3 reflecting the activation of granulocytes), the antibody clone HAM 56 (for detection of local macrophages), and antibodies against macrophage migration inhibiting factor (MIF)-related proteins 8 and 14 (MRP 8 and 14), and clinical state evaluated by the Mannheim Peritonitis Index (MPI), the Peritonitis Index Altona II (PIA II) and the Acute Physiology Score (APS). C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were measured preoperatively in the serum.

Results: Expression of MRP 8 and 14, HAM 56, and defensin 3 was significantly higher in patients with peritonitis than in controls (p < 0.05). Expression of IL-1 and IL-6 was almost undetectable. ICAM-1 expression correlated significantly with phagocytic activation. There was no correlation between clinical scores, CRP, and immunohistochemically detectable variables.

Conclusion: The pattern of peritoneal inflammatory reactions is relatively uniform and does not correlate with the clinical grading of severity.