Surgical Anastomosis

A surgical anastomosis is a technique for creating a new connection between two body structures that carry fluid, such as blood vessels or sections of bowel. Arterial anastomoses are used in vascular bypass procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, in aneurysm repair, and in reconnecting blood vessels during organ transplantation, while a colonic anastomosis restores continuity of the bowel after a section is removed, for example during cancer surgery. Surgeons create an anastomosis by hand sewn suture, mechanical staplers, or biological adhesives, joining the structures end to end, side to side, or end to side, and the step is described as complex and time consuming but usually critical to the outcome of the operation.