Knotless closure of the collecting system and renal parenchyma with a novel barbed suture during laparoscopic porcine partial nephrectomy

Introduction: Closure of the urinary collecting system and renal parenchyma is a technically challenging aspect of laparoscopic nephron-sparing surgery and an obstacle to its more widespread use. A novel barbed polydioxanone suture material Quill™ self-retaining suture (SRS) (Angiotech Pharmaceuticals^©) has been introduced for knot-free tissue approximation. We compared the outcomes of Quill SRS versus a conventional technique for kidney and collecting system closure during laparoscopic porcine partial nephrectomy. Methods: After approval of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, 10 female pigs underwent bilateral transperitoneal laparoscopic lower pole heminephrectomy. Closure of the collecting system and approximation of the renal parenchyma was performed in two layers using continuous knotless barbed suture for one kidney (Quill SRS) and polyglactin (Vicryl™) with absorbable polydioxanone clips (LapraTy™; Ethicon) on the contralateral kidney. For both techniques, the collecting system was closed with 2-0 suture and renal parenchyma with #1 suture. Warm ischemia and suturing time were recorded, and resected tissue was weighed. All animals were sacrificed 1 week after surgery. Serum hemoglobin and visual inspection at necropsy were used to assess for bleeding; visual inspection of the peritoneum and bilateral retrograde pyelography were used to assess for urinary fistula. Results: Mean (±standard deviation [SD]) weight of resected tissue (barbed, 34±13 g; clips, 34±11 g; p=0.6), mean (±SD) ischemia time (barbed, 34±8 minutes; clips, 34±10 minutes; p=0.7), and mean (±SD) suturing time (barbed, 21±4 minutes; clips, 22±7 minutes; p=0.7) were similar between groups. No animal had a visible hematoma or urinoma at necropsy. On retrograde pyelography, a small urinary leak was found in two kidneys in each group (p=0.6). Conclusions: In a porcine laparoscopic partial nephrectomy model, it appears that knotless barbed suture is as effective, efficient, and safe as a conventional technique. Further evaluation in humans is warranted and required.