title: A comparison of the mechanical strength of two stapled anastomosis techniques for equine small intestine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare bursting strength, time of construction, and cost of a closed one-stage, stapled functional end-to-end jejunojejunostomy (FEE) with a stapled side-to-side jejunojejunostomy (STS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Experimental, randomized block design.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven adult horses without gastrointestinal disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  The jejunum was isolated, and three FEE, three STS, and three control segments were created in each horse using a randomized block design. Anastomosis time was recorded. The intraluminal pressure at failure and mode of failure were recorded. Length at failure was measured on digitized images. Bursting pressure (BP), bursting wall tension (BWT), anastomosis time, and cost were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Control jejunal segments were stronger (P < or = .0001) in bursting strength and bursting wall tension (P < or = .0001) than either anastomosis type; no difference was found between anastomosis types for either variable. Functional end-to-end jejunojejunostomy was significantly quicker and less costly than STS (P < or = .0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mechanically there were no significant differences between the FEE and STS techniques. The FEE technique maintained the physiologic direction of peristalsis of the segments, required less tissue manipulation, and was faster and more economical to create.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FEE is a clinically viable technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37901, USA.
authors.forename: R Jay
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Bickers
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Blackford
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eiler
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rohrbach
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000601:surgery*; D007582:Jejunostomy / Q000662:veterinary*; D007583:Jejunum / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D017792:Surgical Stapling / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000662:veterinary*