Microvascular anastomosis using fibrin glue and venous cuff in rat carotid artery.

Conventional anastomosis with interrupted sutures can be time-consuming, can cause vessel narrowing, and can lead to thrombosis at the site of repair. The amount of suture material inside the lumen can impair the endothelium of the vessel, triggering thrombosis. In microsurgery, fibrin sealants have the potential beneficial effects of reducing anastomosis time and promoting accurate haemostasis at the anastomotic site. However, there has been a general reluctance to use fibrin glue for microvascular anastomoses because the fibrin polymer is highly thrombogenic and may not provide adequate strength. To overcome these problems, a novel technique was defined for microvascular anastomosis with fibrin glue and a venous cuff. Sixty-four rats in two groups are included in the study. In the experimental group (n = 32), end-to-end arterial anastomosis was performed with two stay sutures, fibrin glue, and a venous cuff. In the control group (n = 32), conventional end-to-end arterial anastomosis was performed. Fibrin glue assisted anastomosis with a venous cuff took less time, caused less bleeding at the anastomotic site, and achieved a patency rate comparable to that provided by the conventional technique. Fibrin sealant assisted microvascular anastomosis with venous cuff is a rapid, easy, and reliable technique compared to the end-to-end arterial anastomosis.

Two-suture fish-mouth end-to-side microvascular anastomosis with fibrin glue.

The most decisive step during free tissue transfers and replantation surgery may be respected as microvascular anastomosis. The conventional end-to-side anastomosis technique with simple interrupted sutures is well established and proven to be successful. On the other hand, conventional technique can be time consuming and can cause vascular thrombosis, vessel narrowing, and foreign-body reactions. Search for a more rapid and secure alternative to conventional technique is carried on. In this study, we defined a new technique for end-to-side anastomosis with fish-mouth incisions and application of fibrin glue and compared our results with those we obtained with conventional end-to-side anastomosis. We evaluated end-to-side anastomosis of carotid arteries of a total number of 64 Wistar-Albino rats. In control group (n = 32), conventional anastomoses with 8 to 10 sutures were performed. In experimental group (n = 32), fish-mouth incisions were applied first on the recipient artery, followed by performing anastomosis with only 2 corner sutures and applying commercially available fibrin glue. Time taken to perform the anastomosis was significantly shorter with the experimental group (P = 0.001), whereas early and late patency and aneurysm rates were comparable to those achieved with control group. Histological evaluation did not point out any significant differences between the groups. We have defined a rapid and safe alternative technique of end-to-side anastomosis with the use of fibrin glue. This method may be an alternative especially where multiple anastomoses are required or where it is difficult to approach anastomotic line, as it is easily performed, rapid, safe, and not involving any complex equipments.

Effects of vinblastine on microvascular anastomosis healing in diabetic rats.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetes mellitus and chemotherapy use are well-known factors that can affect success after microvascular repair. Although many studies have investigated each factor individually, no study exists on their combined effect. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of preoperative vinblastine, a vinca alkaloid, on the healing of microvascular anastomosis in diabetic and non-diabetic rats. METHODS: In this study, 144 Sprague Dawley rats were assigned randomly and equally into experimental or control groups. The experimental group consisted of 72 rats which were made diabetic by alloxan injections. Diabetes was confirmed by glycosuria (>2%) and elevated plasma glucose (>300 mg/100 ml) after three days of alloxan injections. The experimental group then received a single dose of intraperitoneal vinblastine. After applying the medication, the two main groups were divided into three subgroups. For each group, we performed end-to-end femoral artery anastomosis on Day 7, 14, and 21, respectively. We further divided each subgroup equally into three smaller groups to test patency and took biopsies at Day 7, 14 and 21, respectively. Histopathologic evaluation was carried out. RESULTS: The comparison of patency tests and pathologic examination indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The negative effects of diabetes and the administration of vinblastine did not significantly influence anastomosis healing.

Evaluation of the effects of tip-binding sutures and cartilaginous grafts on tip projection and rotation.

BACKGROUND: Numerous approaches and techniques have been described to achieve a desired result in tip surgery, but there are few studies that define or analyze the changes that occur after surgery. Therefore, the authors planned a study to document changes in nasal tip projection, crural and lobular lengths of the columella, columellar length, and proportional relationships of tip projection and columella with dorsal length. METHODS: Analysis was based on data collected from preoperative and 1-year postoperative lateral views of 18 patients who were randomly chosen. The tip-binding suture group included nine patients and the cartilaginous graft group included nine patients. The measurements were obtained using the parameters regarding tip projection and rotation on standardized photographs. The values were statistically analyzed with paired and unpaired t tests. RESULTS: The changes in all parameters except crural length were statistically significant in the tip-binding suture group. In contrast, the statistical analysis of the cartilaginous graft group revealed prominent dimensional changes in tip projection and especially in crural and lobular segments. CONCLUSIONS: The authors believe that cartilaginous grafts should be considered if the dimensional changes have priority in the preoperative plan. The columellar strut graft provides satisfactory structural tip support and dimensional changes in crural length. Shield grafting causes augmentation in the lobular segment. If minor dimensional changes with more rotational alterations are planned, tip suture techniques should be preferred.

Effects of vinblastine on healing in microvascular anastomosis.

Reconstructive microsurgical procedures are getting more common in cancer patients. Adjuvant therapies, such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immune therapy, are usually combined with surgical approaches to improve outcomes. This study was designed to investigate the effects of preoperative chemotherapy on healing in microvascular anastomosis. As a commonly preferred drug for neoadjuvant cancer treatment, vinblastine was used on rats in our study. Ninety-three Sprague-Dawley rats were used and randomly allocated into two groups as 72 experimental and 21 control rats. Vinblastine 2 mg/kg was administered as a single dose intraperitoneally on day 0 in the experimental group. Leukocytes and erythrocytes were counted on days 0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 15 in 6 rats of the experimental and 6 rats of the control group. We found that the neutropenia period ended on approximately day 7. After applying the medication, the experimental group (n = 72) was divided into three main groups (n = 24). We performed end-to-end femoral artery anastomosis on days 7 or 14 or 21, respectively, in each group. Each main group was divided into three subgroups (n = 8), and then we tested patency and took biopsies on days 7 or 14 or 21, respectively, in each subgroup. Histopathologic evaluation was carried out. The comparison of patency tests and pathologic examination indicated that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups.