NON‐SUTURE ANASTOMOSIS: THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

A wide range of devices for uniting the bowel has been invented. These are ligatures, prostheses, adhesives and staples. Denans' rings and Henroz' articulated rings were described in 1826, and Murphy's anastomosis button in 1892. Modern stapling began with Hültl in 1908 and Petz in 1924. Sophisticated stapling instruments were invented in Moscow by Androsov and others between 1950 and 1960. These were modified by Ravitch to produce, in 1967, a safe, disposable, presterilized, preloaded, interchangeable cartridge in a light instrument. The value of stapling is now beyond dispute.