AMNION AS A PROSTHETIC MATERIAL IN CONGENITAL-DEFECTS - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY IN RATS

In pediatric surgery, amniotic membranes taken from autologous placent a are occasionally used as an implant in cases of large ventral abdomi nal clefts. The questions arise, which part of this organ should be us ed and how to use it in the recipient organism. Amniotic membranes con sist anatomically of amnion and chorion, which are of fetal origin, an d maternal decidua. In our experimental studies, we used the fetal par ts of the amniotic membrane as an implant in a standardized rat model and investigated the utilization and possible foreign-body reaction (F BR) induced. Fifteen, 30, and 90 days after implantation the macroscop ic appearence, light microscopy, and immunohistology of the specimens were examined. Adhesions to parenchymal organs and omentum were presen t irrespective of the side facing the abdominal cavity. Amnion induced a rapid FBR that diminished with time. Chorion and parts of the amnio n were resorbed within the examined period after infiltration with rec ipient cells and neovascularization. Our studies have shown that for b est results, only amnion in its anatomical definition and parts of the chorion should be prefered as an implant.