INTRAUTERINE REPAIR OF SURGICALLY CREATED DEFECTS IN MICE (LIP INCISION MODEL) WITH A MICROCLIP - PREAMBLE TO ENDOSCOPIC INTRAUTERINE SURGERY

We compared the difference between a nonpenetrating silver microclip a nd suture on wound healing, inflammatory response, and application tim e in the repair of surgically created standardized unilateral cleft li p type defects in fetal mice. Excellent lip continuity and dermal reco nstitution were achieved by both methods of repair. Furthermore, colla gen accumulation did not occur. Occasional mononuclear cells were seen around sutured repairs in contrast to microclipped repairs. The most significant difference, however, was in application time with the micr oclip requiring an average of 7 seconds (+/-2) compared to 90 seconds (+/-15) for suture. We conclude that the microclip offers distinct adv antages for intrauterine cleft lip repair: (1) nonpenetrating tissue a pproximation; (2) less inflammatory response than suture; (3) technica lly more rapid and less difficult to apply than suture; and (4) can be utilized more readily than suture for endoscopic approaches limiting the risks of fetal surgery for both the mother and the fetus.