Intestinal anastomotic healing in the absence of suture material: an experimental study in rats

In order to investigate the influence of sutures on intestinal anastomotic healing, 48 rats underwent both ileal and colonic resection. In 24 rats all intestinal sutures were removed 30 min after anastomotic construction (group 1), while in the remaining animals (group 2) the sutures were left in place. Bursting pressures and collagen (hydroxyproline) levels in anastomotic segments were measured 1, 3, and 7 days after operation. Two lethal ileal dehiscences and 9 anastomotic abscesses (5 ileal and 4 colonic) occurred in group 1, while in group 2 there were 3 ileal anastomotic abscesses. On the first day after operation, bursting pressures were significantly lower in sutureless ileal and colonic than in sutured anastomoses. During the post-operative course, changes in collagen concentrations in ileal and colonic segments did not differ between the groups. Thus, sutures are only essential in providing anastomotic strength during the immediate post-operative period, but do not seem to affect post-operative collagen metabolism.