The use of barbed suture for bladder and bowel repair.

Abstract

To describe the laparoscopic repair of bladder and bowel injuries using barbed suture and review postoperative outcomes. Retrospective medical chart review (Canadian Task Force classification II-3). Large academic medical institution. Thirty-three women who underwent laparoscopic repair of the bladder and/or bowel wall using barbed suture between January 2009 and July 2013. Not applicable. The patients underwent a total of 9 cystotomies (27.3%), 7 enterotomies (21.2%), 4 bladder seromuscular injuries (12.1%), 12 bowel seromuscular injuries (36.4%), and 1 bladder and bowel seromuscular injury (3.0%). Of the 33 injuries, 17 (51.5%) were intentional in the setting of bladder or bowel endometriosis nodule excision, whereas the other 16 (48.5%) were accidental and occurred at the time of lysis of adhesions. Thirteen of 14 bladder injuries (92.9%) were at the dome, and 1 injury (7.1%) was at the trigone. Fifteen of 20 bowel injuries (75%) were rectal, 3 (15%) were on the colon, and 2 (10%) were on the small intestine. Cystotomies ranged in length from 1 to 5 cm, and enterotomies ranged from 1.5 to 6 cm. All bladder and bowel seromuscular injuries were repaired using a single layer of barbed suture. Twelve full-thickness bladder or bowel wall defects (75%) were repaired using 2 layers of barbed suture, and 4 defects (25%) were repaired using a layer of barbed suture and a layer of a running or interrupted smooth delayed absorbable suture. Duration of follow-up ranged from 1 month to 15 months. There were no major complications. Only 1 patient who had undergone a large enterotomy repair developed constipation secondary to a mild rectal stricture diagnosed 3 months postoperatively. Symptoms of constipation since resolved spontaneously in that patient. Barbed suture provides adequate tension-free bladder and bowel repair. No major complications have been encountered; therefore, the use of barbed suture for the repair of bladder or bowel defects seems feasible and safe.