Anti-leakage Effect of Bacterial Cellulose Cover Used in Colonic Anastomosis in Rats

In surgical operations, anastomoses are often preferred for the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract. It has been well known that anastomotic leakages are one of the most serious complications causing high mortality and morbidity. In this experimental study, bacterial cellulose was used to prevent leakage after colon anastomosis as a wound healing agent. The preventive effects of bacterial cellulose, which is often preferred in surgical interventions, on colon leakage were investigated. In our study, colonic anastomosis was performed on 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. In the control group, primary anastomosis was performed on 10 animals. In the experimental group, primary anastomosis followed by cellulose cover along the anastomosis line was performed on 10 animals. After 7 days, anastomotic bursting pressure was measured and histopathological examinations were performed. According to the findings of our study, the bursting pressure increased with bacterial cellulose application. On the other hand, histopathological examinations, bacterial cellulose group showed a significant increase in the fibroblast density, eosinophil density, and collagen density. As a result, bacterial cellulose has been shown to accelerate wound healing mechanically and histopathologically. In our study, it has been demonstrated that bacterial cellulose can be used as a physical barrier with biological properties to prevent leakage after colon anastomosis. Besides, our study will shed light on the advanced clinical studies to be conducted on the effect of bacterial cellulose preventing anastomotic leakage, and we claim that bacterial cellulose may be used for this purpose in the near future.