OMENTOPEXY FOR TRACHEAL AUTOGRAFTS

An effective method of vascularization is required in tracheal transpl antation, as tracheal vessels are too fine to be anastomosed easily. A series of experiments, including postmortem injection study, were con ducted to assess the usefulness of omentopexy for tracheal autografts in 17 dogs. In group I (n = 4) a six-ring tracheal autograft was impla nted in the greater omentum for 28 days. The structural integrity of a ll the autografts was maintained. In group II (n = 3) a six-ring cervi cal trachea was excised and reimplanted as an autograft without omenta l wrapping. All three autografts dissolved or transformed. No neovascu larity from the recipient trachea or surrounding tissue was seen in th e autografts by postoperative day 11. In group III (n = 10) omentopexy was added to the same experiment as group II. All the autografts were nourished adequately by the omental circulation as demonstrated by in jection study, and remained viable early after transplantation. We con clude that the omentopexy is an effective method to facilitate neovasc ularization in tracheal autografts.