THE IMPACT OF GELATIN-RESORCINOL GLUE ON AORTIC TISSUE - A HISTOMORPHOLOGIC EVALUATION

Purpose: Although gelatin-resorcinol-formaldehyde glue has been used t o treat acute aortic dissections for some time, concerns about formald ehyde's mutagenicity and carcinogenicity made it imperative to develop a new glue compound. Gelatin-dialdehyde glue was produced by omitting the formaldehyde component and replacing it with two less toxic aldeh ydes, glutaraldehyde and glyoxal. This study evaluated the histomorpho logic effects of the new glue through in vivo use on the aortic tissue of domestic pigs. Methods: Each animal's infrarenal aorta was glued a round an implanted prosthesis. Histomorphologic evaluation was perform ed after operation after 1 and 4 weeks. Results: The results demonstra ted that the clinically observed tanning effect can be attributed prim arily to the disintegration of the fiber texture, specifically collage nous, as well as smooth muscle fibers, and to the reciprocal alteratio ns of the proteoglycan interstitial substance in the aortic wall. Macr oscopic, microscopic, and electron microscopic analysis of the gluing process revealed an adequate healing process without any morphological ly significant difference between formaldehyde and formaldehyde-free g elatin-resorcinol glue. Conclusions: Gelatin-dialdehyde glue is able t o produce the same effects in the area of the aortic wall as the subst antially more toxic gelatin-resorcinol-formaldehyde glue and thus coul d be recommended for clinical trials for treating acute aortic dissect ions thus far yielding excellent initial results.