Polyvinyl Alcohol Sponges to Facilitate Cerebral Bypass Surgery: Technical Note.

Objective: The standard way of isolating bypass vessels from surrounding structures during cerebral bypass surgery has been to use a rubber dam or neurosurgical patty. Here, the use of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponges is described as a possible upgrade from these traditional bypass dams.
Methods: PVA sponges were used to isolate bypass arteries from surrounding tissues during microvascular anastomosis in 25 patients undergoing bypass surgery at our institution.
Results: There were no adverse events related to the use of PVA for microvascular anastomosis. PVA sponges offered some specific advantages when compared with rubber and cottonoid dams.
Conclusions: Although preliminary, our experience using PVA sponges during microvascular anastomosis suggests some of their properties can facilitate cerebral bypass surgery.
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