Abstract
Bipolar electrocoagulation is one of the most important procedures in modern neurosurgery.
However, there are still many practical problems, especially tissue adherence to the
tips of the coagulating forceps and the difficulty removing carbonized clots from
the tips. Both make the process less accurate and more time-consuming. To prevent
formation of coagulum, recently, irrigation with a saline solution and coating of
the forceps tips with a special metal have been tried. In this work, we compare a
new bipolar electrocoagulator with automatic output control in relation to tissue
impedance (Auto Suture - Valleylab NS 2000 with INSTANT RESPONSE™ technology) with
a high-frequency coagulator (Erbotom ICC 350, Erbe). The femoral arteries and nerves
of Wistar rats, weighing on average 360 g, were prepared and coagulation was carried
out with variable power settings during a constant time (3 seconds). Sections were
stained with haematoxylin-eosin, van Gieson and Luxol-Fast-Blue for histological examination.
Coagulation with Erbotom ICC 350 resulted in tissue sticking to the tips of the forceps
in all cases, regardless of the power chosen. With the new electrocoagulator, tissue
adherence to the forceps tips was not seen. With the new system, effective coagulation
was also achieved at comparably lower power settings.
Key words
Bipolar Electrocoagulation - Tissue Impedance - Diathermy - Neurosurgical Apparatus
- Non-Sticking - Histological Changes
