An Experimental Study on Implantable Doppler Miniprobe

Tetsuya Kaneko, Akimasa Nakao, Yukito Tabuchi*, Toshiyuki Matsunaka*, Shigeo Ohi**, Hiroshi Takagi

Department of Surgery II, Faculty of Medicine, Nagoya University
*Research Instutute, Aloka Co. Ltd
**Department of Developmental Work, Gunze Co. Ltd.

In pancreatobiliary surgery, radical operations with combined resection of the hepatic artery and/or portal vein are sometimes performed. In order to monitor the patency of anastomosis of the vessles, an implantable Doppler miniprobe was developed. Doppler miniprobe fixation to the vessels with bioabsorbable polyglycoride (PGA) felt was devised, and an experimental study to examine this method was performed. First, bioadaptation of the bioabsorbable PGA felt and dummy probes to the aorta and the inferior vena cava was studied for six weeks. Then we attempted to detect the flow velocity of the artery, portal vien and inferior vena cava. Results of the first study were as follows. In two weeks, the PGA felt was not absorbed and the dummy probes could not be removed. After four weeks, more than 50% of the PGA felt was absorbed, and the dummy probes could be removed easily. results of the second study were as follows. The flow could be detected clearly in arteries up to 2 mm in diameter. Recording of the maximum flow velocity depended upon the sampling point and the diameter of the vessels. Flow of the portal vein and the inferior vena cava could also be detected. According to the results of this experimental study, the possibility of implantable Doppler monitoring of reconstructed major vessels in pancreatobiliary carcinoma was verified.

Key words
implantable doppler miniprobe, pancreatobiliary surgery, portal vein resection and construction, hepatic artery resection and construction, flow monitoring

Reprint requests
Tetsuya Kaneko Department of Surgery II, Faculty of Medicine, Nagoya University
65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, 466 JAPAN

Accepted
January 11, 1995

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