Glossary of Medical and Health Terms

Anastomosis

Anastomosis is the surgical connection of two structures. It commonly refers to connections between blood vessels or connections between other tubular structures such as loops of intestine. In circulatory anastomosis, many arteries naturally anastomose with each other. For example, the inferior epigastric artery and superior epigastric artery. In surgery, surgical anastomosis occurs when a segment of intestine is resected and the two remaining ends are sewn or stapled together (anastomosed). The procedure is referred to as intestinal anastomosis.

Pathological anastomosis results from trauma or disease and may involve veins, arteries, or intestines. These are usually referred to as fistulas. In the cases of veins or arteries, traumatic fistulas usually occur between artery and vein. Traumatic intestinal fistulas usually occur between two loops of intestine (enetero-enteric fistula) or intestine and skin (enterocutaneous fistula). Portacaval anastomosis, by contrast, is an anastomosis between a vein of the portal circulation and a vein of the systemic circulation, which allows blood to bypass the liver in patients with portal hypertension, often resulting in hemorrhoids, esophageal varices, or caput medusae. Anastomosis also occurs as connections between systemic veins (Systemic Circulation) and portal veins (Hepatic Circulation).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastomosis

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