How safe is high-power ultrasonic dissection?
Department of Surgery and Molecular Oncology & Surgical Skills Unit, Ninewells Hospital & Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, Scotland. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of ultrasonic dissection. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: High-power ultrasonic dissection is in widespread use for both open and laparoscopic operations and is generally perceived to carry a low risk of collateral damage, but there is no published evidence for this. METHODS: Under controlled experimental conditions, ultrasonic dissections were performed in pigs using Ultracision (Ethicon) or Autosonix (Tyco/USSC) at the three power settings (3, 4, and 5) in random fashion to mobilize the cardia and fundus, bile duct, hepatic artery, portal vein, aorta from the inferior vena cava, renal vessels, colon, and ureters. The dissections (open and laparoscopic) were carried out on pigs at each power setting with each device. Thermal mapping of the tissues during dissection was performed with an infrared thermal camera and
