Use of a novel absorbable barbed plastic surgical suture enables a "self-cinching" technique of vesicourethral anastomosis during robot-assisted prostatectomy and improves anastomotic times

PURPOSE

To demonstrate a novel technique of self-cinching anastomosis using a barbed and looped suture during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a feasibility study of 50 consecutive patients who underwent this novel self-cinching anastomotic technique using a V-Loc™ 180 absorbable barbed suture after RARP for clinically localized prostate cancer. The results were then compared with 50 consecutive patients who underwent RARP by the same surgeon before this new technique. We examined whether this novel technique had any effects on posterior reconstruction time, vesicourethral anastomosis time, and thus total reconstruction and operative time by inference.

RESULTS

The V-Loc 180 group had significantly shorter posterior reconstruction (40 seconds vs 60 seconds; P ≤ 0.001) and vesicourethral anastomotic times (7 min vs 12 min; P ≤ 0.001). By inference, this meant that total reconstruction and operative times were also significantly less (8 minutes vs 13.5 min; P ≤ 0.001 and 106 min vs 114.5 minutes; P ≤ 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

We have shown that this technique is feasible and improves posterior reconstruction and anastomotic times. Further follow-up will determine any benefits of this technique on anastomotic urinary leak rates, continence, and catheter removal times.

Lithium ion strengthening of dental porcelain

The effects of experimental lithium-containing ion exchange pastes on dental porcelain were compared with a commercial ion strengthening paste. Maximum biaxial flexure strength using the experimental pastes was obtained by firing lithium paste containing 200 g per L lithium sulphate dihydrate for 45 minutes at 750 degrees C onto the surface of the porcelain. However, the commercial paste produced the greatest strengthening overall.