Application of the Bioabsorbable Polyglycolic Acid Sheet in Colorectal Anastomosis in Animal Models.

Objectives: Anastomotic complications after colorectal surgery are one of the most serious outcomes. To address this issue, this study used the newly developed bioabsorbable polyglycolic acid (PGA) sheet to assess its usefulness and safety using two approaches of double stapling technique (DST) after laparoscopic anterior resection (AR) in pig models.

Methods: Rectal intratissue pressure was assessed after DST anastomosis in two groups, i.e., with (PGA group) or without PGA sheet (nonPGA group), which was sandwiched between the anastomosis in the first approach. In the second approach, after laparoscopic DST anastomosis with PGA sheet attached at anvil side, the clinical short-term outcomes within 1 week and histological findings at 1 week after the surgery were evaluated.

Results: Assessment of rectal intratissue pressure showed a mean pressure of 9.28 kPa in the PGA group versus 5.78 kPa in the nonPGA group ( = 0.39). The results of clinical short-term outcomes revealed that there were no anastomotic complications. The results of histological findings in anastomotic bowel tissues with PGA sheet were not significantly different from those of the control case.

Conclusions: The bioabsorbable PGA sheet can be used for colorectal DST anastomosis in animal models and may be a valuable tool for this procedure.