Isobutyl cyanoacrylate as a skin adhesive.

ISOBUTYL cyanoacrylate is one of a homologous series of bactericidal liquid monomers which in the presence of small amounts of moisture rapidly polymerize to form a strong adhesive. The cyanoacrylate monomers, especially methyl, have been used in both experimental (Healey, 1962) and clinical surgery (Vasko, 1965) to bind together moist living tissues, for example to seal wounds of the kidney and spleen and also to reinforce suture anastomoses. The recently introduced isobutyl cyanoacrylate (Matsumoto, 1967) is less toxic than the lower homologues and its experimental use as a tissue adhesive has recently been reported (Hale & Ellis, 1968). In two patients, one with an ileostomy and the other with a urinary ileal conduit, isobutyl cyanoacrylate was successfully used to fix the ileostomy appliance firmly to the skin and prevent continued leakage of ileal contents.