A Comparative Study of Conventional Suture and Stapler Anastomosis for Gastro-intestinal Surgery in Dogs

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Background: Gastro-intestinal anastomosis is mostly performed to correct the gastro-intestinal surgical disorders like gastro-intestinal obstruction, abdominal trauma, perforated bowel, intussusception and intestinal neoplasia etc. In early periods conventional intestinal anastomosis was followed which evolved into a seromuscular pattern of suture technique in recent years. Stapled anastomosis have a higher tensile strength than sutured anastomosis, since they heal by primary intention with minimal inflammation. Taking above facts into consideration, this study was undertaken to compare the conventional suture with stapler anastomosis of gastro-intestinal surgery in dogs. Methods: Clinical cases of dogs which were reported to Small Animal Out-Patient (Surgery Unit) of Madras Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Chennai, with the symptoms of gastro-intestinal obstruction due to multifactorial causes formed the study material that were randomly divided into two groups of 6 dogs each. Group I Cases were treated with conventional suture, Group II were treated with gastrointestional anastomosis staplers. Plain and contrast radiography, ultrasonography, intestional anastomosis time, resumption of oral feeding, matrix metalloproteinase were performed. Result: Stapler technique was found to be superior, accurate and most effective than the conventional technique in terms of anastomotic constructing time, less bowel manipulation, tissue trauma, anaesthetic exposure, risk of peritoneal contamination, early resumption of gastro-intestinal motility and oral feeding, rapid healing at the anastomotic site and reduced hospital stay. Moreover the procedure was easy to perform and simple.