Objective: To evaluate the healing of single-layer end-to-end colonic anastomoses in rats in which the inferior mesenteric artery had been ligated.
Design: Controlled experiment.
Setting: Medical school, Poland.
Animals: 20, 2-month-old inbred Buffalo rats (n = 10 in each group).
Interventions: Laparotomy with ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery (laparotomy alone in the control group), followed by segmental colonic resection and primary anastomosis 24 hours later, and resection of the anastomosis 4 days later.
Main outcome measures: Degree of contamination and inflammation of peritoneal cavity and histological evaluation of the anastomosis.
Results: No animal died and no anastomosis leaked. There were no histological differences in the extent of early healing between the groups. In 2 animals in the experimental group pathogens were grown from the peritoneal culture (Escherichia coli and Bacteroides fragilis in each case).
Conclusion: High ligation of the inferior mesenteric artery had no deleterious effect on the healing of colonic anastomoses in rats.