LASER-ASSISTED ENTEROCYSTOPLASTY IN RATS

The employment of laser welds to anastomose bowel to bladder in urolog ical surgery has never been described. Using rats, we compared laser-a ssisted enterocystoplasty (LAE) with conventional sutured enterocystop lasty (CSE). A ''patch'' ileocystoplasty was performed using distal il eum. Operative time, intraluminal bursting pressure and histologic cha nges were evaluated. Operative time was 38% less in the LAE (p < 0.001 ). No statistically significant differences in bursting pressure betwe en LAE and CSE groups was demonstrated (p = 0.654) in rats sacrificed 2 weeks postoperatively. Histologic findings in the laser-assisted ent erocystoplasties included early loose granulation tissue and later org anization of the granulation tissue with significant collagen depositi on. In our preliminary study, laser welding of bowel within the urinar y stream was safe, efficacious and rapid and resulted in a mechanicall y comparable surgical outcome.