Anastomotic leak in rats exposed to pre-operative radiation and intestinal <i>P. aeruginosa</i>.

<p>(A) Sketch of anastomosis model and treatment groups. Treatment groups: I, anastomosis only; II, anastomosis + cecal injection of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> MPAO1, 10⁷ CFU; III, radiation + anastomosis; IV, radiation +anastomosis + cecal injection of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> MPAO1 (10⁷ CFU). Black arrows indicate the anastomotic site. (B) Excised and exposed suture lines of anastomotic sites. All suture lines are grossly intact except for group IV where ulceration/dehiscence is noted by the black arrow. (C) H&E staining of anastomotic tissues. Arrows and brackets indicate width of tissue apposition at suture line. (D, D’, E) Methylene blue assessment of anastomotic integrity demonstrating rare to no leaks in groups I–III (D) and gross extravasation in group IV (D’). Arrows indicate the site of anastomosis. (E) Incidence of anastomotic leak between groups. n = 12 (group I), n = 16 (group II), n = 9 (group III), n = 18 (group IV), *p<0.01.