2-Octylcynanoacrylate-assisted microvascular anastomosis in a rat model: long-term biomechanical properties and histological changes.

The aim of this study was to establish the long-term biomechanical and histological properties of 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted microvascular anastomosis over conventional suture-only anastomosis in the laboratory rat model. The biomechanical and histological properties of three groups of vessels were compared: 1) vessels with 2-octylcyanoacrylate-assisted anastomoses (study group); 2) vessels with suture-only anastomoses (control group); and 3) normal unoperated vessels (sham group). In total, 144 adult rats were used, and these were studied at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months postanastomosis. At 6 months, the tensile strength of study vessels was significantly higher than control vessels. The stiffness of study and control vessels was similar at all time intervals. Histologically, there was no evidence that 2- octylcyanoacrylate caused toxicity to vessel walls, and there was less perivasacular foreign-body giant-cell reaction in the study group compared to the control group. Long-term follow-up showed that microvascular anastomosis with 2-octylcyanoacrylate in rat femoral arteries had superior tensile strength and similar stiffness to vessels anastomosed with sutures only, without adverse effects to surrounding tissues.