Objective: To assess the influence of chronic radiation damage on anastomotic healing in the small bowel in rats.
Design: Controlled laboratory study.
Setting: University hospital, Sweden.
Material: 90 male Sprague-Dawley rats.
Interventions: A short segment of the distal ileum was exteriorised and irradiated with a single dose (experimental group, n = 45) or exposed only (control group, n = 45). Twenty weeks later resection and anastomosis were done within this segment using 7/0 polypropylene.
Main outcome measures: The anastomotic breaking strength, the amount of perianastomotic hydroxyproline, and the number of anastomotic complications.
Results: The breaking strength and the amount of perianastomotic hydroxyproline were higher in the irradiated than in the non-irradiated group. In contrast, anastomotic complications were significantly more common in irradiated animals.
Conclusion: Anastomotic complications in irradiated intestine are not related to the amount of perianastomotic collagen or to breaking strength.