The automatic staple versus the conventional gastrointestinal anastomosis in gynecological malignancies

Abstract

Seventy-four patients with gynecologic malignancies and two with benign tumors under-went different types of gastrointestinal resections to relieve bowel obstruction or to correct fistulas. All but 2 of these patients had gynecologic cancer with one or more modalities of therapy prior to resection. The anastomoses of 47 patients were performed with open conventional techniques which included closure of the full thickness of the bowel. In 28 patients, the automatic stapler was used 63 times. In 3 of the 28 staple anastomosis patients, the EEA (end-to-end anastomosis) was used. In this study, the use of the staple anastomosis was shown to be as effective as the conventional method because it shortened the operating time, provided less contamination of the abdominal cavity, and provided a better blood supply.