Vein and artery growth after anastomosis with vascular closure staple clips vs interrupted polypropylene suture: application in pediatric vascular surgery

Background/Purpose

Alternatives are still being sought in vascular surgery to address the problem of arrested growth after anastomosis in growing vessels, and opinions differ widely regarding the most suitable technique. This study compared vascular growth and permeability after anastomosis using the latest-generation vascular closure staple (VCS) system and the conventional suture technique to ascertain which approach yielded better results.

Methods

Thirty 55-day-old lambs underwent end-to-end anastomosis of the carotid artery and jugular vein. Serial ultrasonography and angiography were carried out over the ensuing 6-month growth period, after which lambs were euthanized.

Results

Both VCS clips and polypropylene suture allowed longitudinal and transverse vessel growth; however, longitudinal growth was significantly greater in clip-closed vessels than in either sutured or untreated vessels.

Conclusions

The results obtained for vascular growth and permeability suggest that VCS clips may provide a suitable alternative to conventional suture in pediatric vascular surgery.     

Pancreatic fistula after laparoscopic splenectomy in patients with hypersplenism due to liver cirrhosis: effect of fibrin glue and polyglycolic acid felt on prophylaxis of postoperative complications

Background

This study aimed to determine the effect of fibrin glue and polyglycolic acid (PGA) felt on prevention of pancreatic fistula (PF) after laparoscopic splenectomy in patients with hypersplenism due to liver cirrhosis.

Methods

Fifty consecutive patients were enrolled in this prospective study. Twenty-three patients underwent laparoscopic splenectomy with a fibrin sheet (fibrin sheet group). The sealing ability of each treatment was evaluated by an ex vivo pressure test model. Based on the results from ex vivo experiments, 27 patients received prophylaxis using fibrin glue and PGA felt (PGA with fibrin group). The primary endpoint was the incidence of PF.

Results

Significantly more (5, 22%) patients developed PF in the fibrin sheet group than in the PGA with fibrin group (0%, P = .037).

Conclusions

Our new application of fibrin glue and PGA felt is an effective prophylactic procedure for preventing development of PF after laparoscopic splenectomy.