LASER-ASSISTED MICROVASCULAR ANASTOMOSES - ANGIOGRAPHIC AND ANATOMOPATHOLOGIC STUDIES ON GROWING MICROVASCULAR ANASTOMOSES - PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Abstract

A low-powered CO2 laser was used to perform end-to-end anastomoses of growing femoral arteries (mean diameter 1.6 mm) in miniature swine. Five microvascular conventional anastomoses were performed with 10-0 monofilament interrupted sutures. Nine laser-assisted vascular anastomoses were performed. The mean duration of each anastomosis was 30 .+-. 3 min for the conventional anastomosis and 20 .+-. 2 min for the laser-assisted vascular anastomosis (P < 0.05). All anastomoses were patent at the completion of the procedure. Each laser-assisted anastomosis required an average of 8 laser pulses of 2-4 s. After 13 wk the external diameters of the conventional anastomoses were 1.8 mm (+15%), while the laser-assisted anastomoses averaged 3.0 mm (+81%) (P < 0.05). All 9 laser-assisted anastomoses were patent, functional and free of stenosis compared with 1 out of 5 conventional anastomoses. Histologically the laser induced minimal or no fibrosis, allowing normal physiologic healing and growth patterns. EM confirmed that the integrity of the arterial layers was restored. A low-energy CO2 laser has potential clinical application for anastomosis of small growing vessels.