Bioabsorbable anastomotic rings (BAR) represent a fascinating concept: the standardization of anastomoses and expulsion of the material without residues are among the many advantages. The data presented here provides an up-to-date overview of this new anastomosing technique. The development of BAR means that a single technique can be used to perform the classical end-to-end, end-to-side, and side-to-side anastomoses in most areas of the gastrointestinal tract without an auxiliary tool. This brings a great advantage in terms of practicality. The book provides experimental and clinical data on the compression anastomosis technique with the bioabsorbable Valtrac ring and considers the future prospects for the technique.

Contributions by: J.-E. Akerlund, B. Brismar, C.J. Cahill, M.R. Christiaens, W. Coosemans, S. Debus, W. Dietz, Rainer Engemann, J.A. Gruwez, T. Havia, J. Lerut, L. Lim, B. Lünstedt, W. Mokros, M. Philippe, G. Schindler, W. Schmitz, Arnulf Thiede, J. Verbruggen, L. Verougstraete, S. Vogel, I. de Wever