Mechanical behavior of colonic anastomosis in experimental settings as a measure of wound repair and tissue integrity

摘要

AIM: To determine the mechanical properties of anasto- motic colonic tissue in experimental settings and there- fore give a measure of wound healing. METHODS: Thirty-six male Wistar rats were used as ex- perimental models of anastomotic tissue integrity. On the 5th post-operative day, the tensile strength was measured by application of an axial force, providing a quantitative measure of anastomotic dehiscence and leakage. RESULTS: Diagrams of the load as a function of the time [P = P (t)] and of the displacement also as a func- tion of time [Δs = Δs (t)] were recorded for each test, permitting the design of the load versus the displace- ment diagram and thus providing significant data about the critical values of anastomotic failure. Quantitative data were obtained concerning the anastomotic strength of both control specimens (healthy rats), as well as spec- imens from non-healthy rats for comparison. CONCLUSION: This experimental model provides an excellent method of measuring anastomotic strength. Despite the relative small number of specimens used, this method provides an accurate way of measuring wound repair. More experimental measurements need to be performed to correlate emerging tensile strength val-ues to anastomotic failure.