Different venous end-to-side microanastomotic techniques: comparative study in a new rat model

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Microsurgery Techniques
• Surgical Innovation

Background:

• End-to-side venous anastomosis is crucial when suitable veins are unavailable, size mismatches exist, or multiple veins require connection.
• The comparative impact of elliptical versus slit venotomy on vessel patency in flap models remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the patency rates of end-to-side venous anastomoses created with elliptical versus slit venotomy techniques.
• To introduce and validate a new, reliable, and reproducible surgical model for end-to-side venous anastomosis using a rat groin flap.

Main Methods:

• A novel surgical model was developed, involving the anastomosis of the femoral vein from a groin flap to the side of the deep dorsal penile vein in Sprague-Dawley rats.
• Twenty-six rats underwent end-to-side venous anastomosis using either an elliptical hole venotomy or a slit venotomy.
• Post-operative patency of the anastomoses was assessed.

Main Results:

• All tested anastomoses, regardless of the venotomy technique (elliptical or slit), demonstrated 100% patency.
• The study found no significant difference in vessel patency between the elliptical and slit venotomy methods.

Conclusions:

• Both elliptical and slit venotomy techniques are equally effective and valid for end-to-side venous anastomosis.
• The described rat groin flap model is a simple, reliable, and reproducible method suitable for surgical training in end-to-side venous anastomosis.