Double-donor, single-lumen, end-to-side anastomosis.

One of the major problems in extracranial-intracranial bypass procedure is the inadequate caliber of the superficial temporal artery branches. In this study, a new end-to-side anastomosis technique that permits two small caliber arteries to be used as a single donor vessel is presented. The external and internal branches of the right common carotid artery were modified to provide a single lumen, and an end-to-side anastomosis was performed between these vessels and the contralateral common carotid artery in 10 rats. One week after the operation, angiography was performed and the patency of anastomoses was demonstrated in 9 of 10 rats.