Endoluminal Suture-technique for the Stomach Closure of an Experimental Model

In the modern minimally invasive era, diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic interventions are one of the most emerging fields. For the new operational techniques, it is a major aim to develop reliable instruments, such as suturing devices for flexible endoscopes. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of a safe and reproducible suturing technique with an endoluminal suturing device.

The evaluation of the technique was performed in twenty explanted special prepared porcine stomachs. Three different techniques were compared, single stitches, figure-of-eight, or Z-pattern and running sutures in terms of suturing time and bursting pressure. After verification of the reliability of the method, a 3 cm long full thickness incision on the stomach was closed with the endoscopic suturing device in four surviving animals.

In our ex vivo studies, we have shown that the figure of 8 or Z- technique is the most optimal for stomach closure without considerable time-cost, thus this technique was chosen as the standard method for the in vivo study. The endoscopic stomach wall suturing was successful in all four cases, the postoperative period was uneventful and ended on the tenth postoperative day with autopsy.

With the applied suturing device, the endoscopic suturing of the stomach is safe and reproducible, thus a human application may also be justified.