title: Utility of a microwave surgical instrument in sealing lymphatic vessels.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study assessed the ability of a novel microwave coagulation surgical instrument (MWCX) to seal lymphatic vessels when compared with LigaSure (Valleylab, Boulder, CO), the Harmonic Scalpel (HS; Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Cincinnati, OH), and electric cautery.
  
  
  METHODS
  The burst pressure of pig inguinal lymphatic vessels was assessed after the sealing of vessels with each surgical instrument. The rate of lymphorrhea from pig mesenteric lymphatic vessels was also investigated using indocyanine green and visualized with the Photodynamic Eye system (Hamamatsu Hotoniks, Hamamatsu, Japan).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Burst pressures were higher with MWCX (average, 300 mm Hg), LigaSure (average, 290 mm Hg), and HS (average, 253 mm Hg) when compared with electric cautery (average, 152.3 mm Hg; vs MWCX: P = .002, vs LigaSure: P = .002, vs HS: P = .004). The rate of lymphorrhea was significantly lower with LigaSure (13.3%), HS (18.8%), and MWCX (13.3%) when compared with electric cautery (77.3%; vs LigaSure: P < .001, vs HS: P < .001, vs MWCX: P < .001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MWCX was equivalent to LigaSure and HS in terms of the ability to seal lymphatic vessels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterological Surgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta, Tsukinowa-cho, Otsu, Shiga 520-2192, Japan. katsushi@belle.shiga-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsushi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takebayashi
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiomi
authors.forename: Shigeyuki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naka
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murayama
authors.forename: Koichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.forename: Hiroya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akabori
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Tomoharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Yoshimasa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kurumi
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002425:Cautery / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D007564:Japan; D042601:Lymphatic Vessels / Q000601:surgery*; D008872:Microwaves; D011312:Pressure; D013525:Surgical Instruments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D013552:Swine
keywords: MWCX; Microwave; Vessel sealing device