Unidirectional barbed suture for vesicourethral anastomosis during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy

We investigated the impact of unidirectional barbed suture ( UBS ) for vesicourethral anastomosis ( VUA ) during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Methods The polyglyconate UBS V ‐ L oc 180 was used for VUA during laparoscopic radical prostatectomy in 30 consecutive patients who were diagnosed with organ‐confined prostate cancer between J anuary and O ctober 2012. The operative and postoperative parameters were then compared with those of 30 consecutive patients who had previously undergone the same procedure but with the monofilament poliglecaprone suture M onocryl. All procedures were performed by the same experienced surgeon. Results VUA time was significantly shorter in the V ‐ L oc group (13.2 ± 2.3 min) than in the M onocryl group (19.1 ± 3.3 min) ( P  < 0.001). The V ‐ L oc group required significantly more stitches than the M onocryl group (11.4 ± 1.3 vs 10.6 ± 1.6 stitches; P  = 0.031). The percentage of patients who required no more than one pad per day at 3 months postoperatively was significantly higher in the V ‐ L oc group (63.3%) than in the M onocryl group (23.3%) ( P  = 0.020). No significant differences in other perioperative parameters were observed between the two groups. Conclusion Using UBS prevents suture slippage and enables tieless anastomosis. VUA using a UBS may relieve surgeon stress because a rapid and secure anastomosis is achievable.