Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the LigaSure device in closing divisions of the small bowel in an ex vivo porcine model.
Methods: Two types of closure were performed: stumps created by "muco-mucosa" fusion and stumps created by "sero-serosa" fusion. For each type of closure, different power levels of the LigaSure system were tested in combination with different numbers of applications and then compared with the Stapler group.
Results: With both types of intestinal closure, the highest value of burst pressure was obtained with the application of a power level of three bars and one frequency application. The high burst pressure of the muco-mucosa stump group was significantly lower than that of the Stapler group (41.8 ± 5.9 vs. 75.8 ± 5.9, respectively, p < 0.01). No differences were found between the high burst pressure of the sero-serosa stump group and the Stapler group (74.1 ± 5.5 vs. 75.8 ± 5.9, respectively, p = 0.2).
Conclusions: Our preliminary results showed that the LigaSure is an efficient tool for closing the intestines when sero-serosa stumps are created. The second step of our work will be to evaluate the feasibility of this tool in creating intestinal anastomoses.