[Dislocation of clips of the cystic duct stump]

The security of six different laparoscopic clips was investigated using 60 kryopreserved specimens of human cystic ducts. After fixation of the cystic duct the cross placed clips were distracted in axial direction and the maximum forces to remove the clip were registered. The mean dislocation-force was 4.6 Newton for titanium clips and 9.3 Newton for absorbable clips with a highly significant difference (p < 0.001, Wilcoxon-test). Additional to the advantage of complete biodegradibility these data favour the use of absorbable clips, because of a better hold force compared to titannium clips.