The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential advantages of 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted end-to-side arterial anastomosis over continuous suture-only anastomosis in the rat orthotopic small bowel transplantation (OSBT) model. OSBT was performed in 80 Sprague-Dawley rats, and they were divided into two groups. Group 1 was the study group (n = 40), using 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted end-to-side arterial anastomosis. Group 2 was the control group (n = 40), using a running 9-0 prolene suture only. The operation time and degree of leakage were observed. After sacrifice on postoperative days 90, histology and electron scanning microscope of arterial anastomosis were measured. The suture time and recovery time in group 1 were significantly shorter than that in group 2. First-degree leakage was observed mostly in group 1, and second-degree leakage was common in group 2. No difference was found between the two techniques considering the graft intestinal histological changes. Under electron scanning microscopy, the anastomoses of the two groups displayed no obvious difference. In conclusion, due to superior speed of operation and no toxicity to vessel wall, 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted end-to-side arterial anastomosis might be a quick and safe method that is much easier to apply in rat OSBT.
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