Endothelial damage in microvascular anastomosis: to splint or not to splint?

When performing a microvascular anastomosis, some surgeons use a splint and others do not. We compared the difference in intravascular reactions observed in the carotid artery of the rat anastomosed with these two techniques by observation with a scanning electron microscope. Thrombus formation was more prominent in the artery anastomosed using a splint. The difference was most remarkable 20 minutes after anastomosis. With time, the difference became less remarkable and was no longer present by seven days. By fourteen days, the anastomotic site was covered with neoendothelium. It is concluded that there is little difference in the final outcome achieved by the two methods.