Combined microvascular anastomosis: experimental and clinical experience.

A short operative time and a high successful rate of microvascular anastomosis are the goals of many plastic surgeons. The authors present their experimental and clinical experience in microvascular anastomoses with the use of a combination of continuous suture and interrupted tie. Twenty rats were divided into two groups. The aorta and inferior vena cava were used for microvascular anastomoses. The vessels of 10 rats were repaired with conventional interrupted suture, and the vessels of the other 10 rats were repaired with combined anastomoses. A total of 150 clinical microvascular surgeries during the past 2 years are also presented, all of which were performed using the combined method. Microvascular anastomoses with the combined method were completed faster than when using the conventional interrupted method in experimental studies. Clinically, no direct microvascular anastomosis failed with the use of combined method. Microvascular anastomosis with the use of the combined continuous suture and interrupted tie resulted in satisfactory outcomes. This technique has the advantages of both interrupted and continuous methods, but not their shortcomings.