VASAL REANASTOMOSIS USING FIBRIN GLUE COMBINED WITH SUTURES - WHICH COMBINATION OF SUTURES IN A DELAYED PROTOCOL - EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN RATS

Objectives: The actual number of transmural sutures needed to ensure a successful fibrin-glued-vasovasostomy is a key study parameter of the few experimental works already published. The present work was done t o evaluate fibrin-glued vasovasostomy in rats in combination with only 2 transmural sutures, We compared the results to our previous study i n which we demonstrated the efficiency of a combination of the use of fibrin glue with 3 sutures in comparison with a conventional microsurg ical technique, Materials and Methods: Twenty Sprague-Dawley rats unde rwent bilateral vasectomy followed 2 weeks later by bilateral vasovaso stomy using fibrin glue combined with 2 transmural sutures. Each anima l was sacrificed 7 weeks postoperatively after a 3-week mating period with a Sprague-Dawley female rat, the vasal specimens were evaluated f or sperm granuloma formation. Mean operative time and fertility rates were recorded. Results: The combination of fibrin glue with 2 transmur al sutures gave evidence of less successful performances than the comb ination with 3 transmural sutures and the conventional microsurgical t echnique for all parameters evaluated but the mean operative time, Con clusion: Our study underlines the need for a third transmural suture p laced 120 degrees apart from the others when performing a fibrin glue delayed vasovasostomy. This allows a better vas lumen opening at the a nastomotic site and therefore a more efficient vasal anastomosis in a delayed protocol.