Abstract:
A study to compare thermal vessel occlusion in open and laparoscopic surgery
With regard to special demands for the safety of vessel occlusion in laparoscopic surgery we studied the basics of thermal vessel occlusion comparing two bipolar high-frequency (HF)-coagulation instruments and an ultrasonic dissection device. Independent from the way of thermal application, the denaturation and restructuring of collagen fibers seem to be the deciding factors of vessel occlusion. Elastic fibers are more resistant to high temperatures and depending on the effect of heat they are still visible as an intact elastic membrane. All three instruments have common effects on assymetric narrowing of the walls, degeneration of nuclei and tissue vacuolization.Typical for coagulation with ultrasonic scissors is an immediate transition to the non damaged area. The enzyme lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) denaturalizes at a temperature of 64°C and reveals a sharp demarcation line in histochemical staining. Such marked and damaged area exceeds the damaged zone by 1-2 mm seen in the H+E staining. In case of ultrasonic dissection this zone is wider than for the HF coagulation. Resulting from a series of timetaking examinations the histological results are also transferable to living organism. The ultrasonic scissors are less safe with regard to vessel occlusion than the HF instruments, especially with respect to larger vessels and lower power setting. HF instruments, with respect to tightness and time of coagulation, as well as lateral damage and applied energy depend only on the size of the vessels. A dependency to power settings at the generator could not be discovered. An additional effect to energy consumption seems to come from the width of the tip. By increasing the width of the tip, energy consumption raises. The volume of HF coagulations in autostop function was 10% less tight than HF coagulations without autostop function. The macroscopic and microscopic alterations can be neglected. A meaningful further development would certainly be, to maintain constant power, considering electric current and voltage to the constantly feedback-controlled typical tissue impedance. By coagulating with the ultrasonic scissors, temperatures up to 200°C could be thermographically measured, especially at lower power settings. Average temperatures reached with all three instuments were between 85° and 115°C. The slow cooling process of the tips for all three instruments after coagulation keeps the risk of unintentional damage of healthy tissue by touching it.