Suture microvascular anastomosis is time-consuming and tedious and demands long and continuous training. Techinique of anastomosis of microvessel was presented interrupted suture and continuous suture. Recently the unilink instrument system is
created
as a fast and simple method to achieve high patency rates without long and continuous training in the anastomosis of small vessels.
The author experimentally studied the femoral artery of 20 mice(0.5-1.0mm, av. 0.7mm), the femoral vein of 20 mice(0.8-1.6, av, 1.2mm) after anastomosis with interrupted suture in 20 cases and continuous sutre in 20 cases. For the unilink
apparatus
we
used the carotid arteries of 15 cases in 14 rabbits(1.0-1.6mm, av .1.3mm)and facial veins of 12 cases in 14 rabbits(0.9mm-2.2mm, av. 1.5mm). A total of 27 arterial and venous anastomoses were performed. We examined the postoperative patency at
immediate, 2 weeks, and 8 weeks.
The results were as followings,
1. In the arterial anastomossi the rate of patency was 90%(18/20) in interrupted suture, 90%(18/20) in continuous suture and 93%(13/15) in unilink apparatus. In the venous anastomosis the rate of patency was 90%(18/20) in interrupted suture,
80%(16/20) in continuous suture and 100%(9/9) in unilink apparatus.
2. The mean time for completion of the arterial anastomosis were 12.2 minutes in interrupted suture group, 10.3 minutes in continouous suture group and 8.5 minutes in unilink apparatus group. The mean time for completion on the venous
anastomosis
were
13.6minutes in interrupted suture group, 11.0 minutes in continuous suture group and 6.2 minutes in unilink apparatus group.
3. At the histological examination of suture group, hyperplastic reaction of middle layer and subintimal hyperplasia were observed. In unilink apparatus group, the endothelium layer was continued and the thickness of vessel wall was decreased
due
to
moderate atrophy of the media and mild degree of nonspecific chronic inflammation were seen around the unilink apparatus.
4. No significants was noticied in foreign body reaction among the interrupted, continuous and unilink apparatus group.
5. A case of the arterial anastomosis was released with acting out at 15 minutes after operation.
6. The important factors in the technical problems were accurate apposition of the cut vessel edges in suture group and the proper selection of the ring size and optimal fitting between two rings in unilink apparatus group.
Even though the outer diamater of vessel in suture group was different from that in unilink apparatus group the unilink method provides a very safe, fast, and simple way to perform microvascular anastomoses especially in anastomosis of vein. But
howerver suture was needed in vessels below 1 mm outer diamater. In that situation continuous suture was benefit that the interrupted suture in operation time.
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