A proof-of-principle study on animals for a new method of anastomosing vessels using intraluminal stents

The aim of this proof-of-principle study was to assess an intraluminal expandable stent design using an existing cardiac stent. Intraluminal stents minimise the amount of suturing necessary when performing an end-to-end anastomosis. The stent is passed halfway through the lumen on each end of the vessel to be anastomosed and is expanded using a retrievable balloon. An adequately expanded stent holds the blood vessel ends in contact without the need for sutures. This method was tested on an end-to-end anastomosis performed on the carotid vessels of two New Zealand male rabbits. The vessels were patent with good blood flow at the end of 16 days. This method has a potential use in vascular, microvascular and luminal anastomoses within various sub-specialities of surgery.