RABBIT FALLOPIAN-TUBE REANASTOMOSIS USING A MICROVASCULAR STAPLING DEVICE

The 3M Precise Microvascular Anastomotic System (MAS), a microvascular stapling device, was compared with microsurgery for the reanastomosis of rabbit fallopian tubes. Differences in operative time, tubal paten cy, adhesion formation, and fertility rate were studied in 18 rabbits. Only 17% of tubes repaired by MAS were subsequently patent by chromop ertubation, compared with 72% with microsurgery. Mean nidation indices were 0.05 for MAS and 0.22 for microsurgery. Sixty-one percent of adn exae repaired by MAS were adhesion stage I,whereas 83% of microsurgica lly repaired adnexae were stage I. Mean operative time was 28.2 min fo r MAS vs 21.6 min for microsurgery. Only the differences in patency ra te and operative time were statistically significant, but the trends s uggest that fallopian tube reanastomosis by MAS offers no advantage ov er conventional microsurgical technique.