Abstract
This study examined the clinical and pathological
features after a microvascular anastomosis of a rat
femoral artery using four different suture techniques.
Sixty Sprage-Dawely rats were divided randomly into 4
groups. Fifteen bisected arteries (one from each animal) in
Group I, II, III and IV were sutured with the simple
interrupted suture, continuous suture, sleeve suture and
cuff suture, respectively. The anastomosis times in Group
I, II, III and IV were 28.67, 14.67, 15.47 and 15.93 min,
respectively. Immediate bleeding that stopped without
intervention (grade I) was observed in 67%, 73% and
60% of the anastomosed vessels in Groups II, III and IV,
respectively, while 60% of the vessels in Group I showed
light bleeding that was inhibited by gentile pressure
(grade II). All vessels examined appeared to be patent at 5
and 15 min after the anastomosis. On the 7th day
postoperatively, the vessels of Group I showed the highest
patency rate (93%) compared with Groups II (67%), III
(73%) and IV (87%). Moreover, there were more
pronounced pathological changes in Group I than in the
other groups. These changes included endothelial loss,
endothelial proliferation, degeneration and necrosis of the
tunica media. Suture materials surrounded by an
inflammatory reaction were also observed. In conclusion,
the simple interrupted suture is preferable for
microvascular anastomosis due to its highest patency rate.
The other techniques investigated can be good alternatives
because of their short anastomotic time and moderate
pathological changes. KCI Citation Count: 7