Patent ID: 7879051

Claim:
A method of forming an anastomosis joining a first tissue layer forming a wall of a first hollow region and a second tissue layer forming a wall of a second hollow region, comprising the steps of: passing a tag from the first hollow region to the second hollow region through the first and second tissue layers, without requiring creation of an external opening, the tag having a trailing portion extending into the first hollow region, pulling the trailing portion to draw the tissue layers towards one another and into face-to-face relationship with one another, introducing a first component of an anastomosis-forming article into the first hollow region, and a second component of an anastomosis-forming article into the second hollow region, the second component of said article being introduced into the second hollow region through the first and second tissue layers, and after introducing the first and second components of the anastomosis-forming article, moving the first and second components towards one another to compress the first and second tissue layers therebetween, and cause the tissue layers to be welded to one another by a consequent ischemia, so as to form an anastomosis communicating the first and second hollow regions.