Microvascular anastomosis has become an essential technique m reconstructive surgery. A patent microvascular anastomosis is required for the success of a free tissue transfer. As the application of microsurgery grows, the desirability of performing an end to end and end to side anastomosis continues to be debated. This experimental study presents the comparison of patency rate of two types of microvascular anastomosis techniques : side to side anastomosis and end to end anastomosis.

A comparative study was undertaken to evaluate side to side micro anastomosis technique using intraluminal catheter. In this study, two clinical metods of microvascular anastomosis were compared. We compared the patency rate and time required for anastomosis. Histological changes (postoperative 1 weeks) were also invsetigated.

Postoperative patency rate was 90% by side to side technique compared to 100% by end to end technique at immediate postoperative and postoperative two weeks. This study revealed that there was no significant difference in patency rate among end to end suture method group and side to side suture method group. Microscopically, we found the relatively smooth surface of the anastomosis site with endothelial regeneration and partial hyaline degeneration in the group using side to side anastomotic method.

We believe there are many advantages in this side to side technique by using intraluminal catheter in perforater flap field and can be highly competitive to the other microvascular anastomisis techniques.