Conventional versus laser reanastomosis of rabbit ligated uterine horns

Conventional microsurgical reanastomosis was compared with laser microsurgical reanastomosis of the ligated uterine horn in the rabbit. Fourteen virgin female New Zealand white rabbits had both uterine horns ligated and divided at laparotomy. Four weeks later, seven rabbits had conventional microsurgical reanastomosis of the divided uterine horns after the ligated stumps were excised (group 1). The ligated uterine horns of the other seven animals were incised with a carbon dioxide laser with a power density of 637 to 796 W/cm2 followed by conventional microsurgical reanastomosis using polyglactin (Vicryl) 8-0 sutures (group 2). After six weeks, a laparotomy was performed to determine adhesion formation and uterine horn patency by chromopertubation. Adhesion formation was graded 0 (no adhesions) through 3 (extensive, dense adhesions) for each uterine horn. Only one uterine horn in the control group was not patent. Laser microsurgery produced significantly less adhesion (mean +/- SE, 0.79 +/- 0.24) than conventional microsurgery (2.29 +/- 0.13) (P less than .001). The findings indicate that laser microsurgical tubal reanastomosis produces significantly better results with less adhesion than the conventional microsurgical technique.