CAN A VENOUS PATCH GRAFT BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE TUNICA ALBUGINEA OF THE PENIS

We describe our experience with plaque excision and placement of a ven ous patch graft. Sprague Dawley rats (n = 20) underwent excision of a wedge of tunica albuginea with the defect covered by a segment of detu bularized femoral vein, endothelial side towards the cavernous tissue. Erectile function, as determined by the rise in intracavernous pressu re with cavernous nerve stimulation (mean 54.0 +/- 4.2 cm. H2O), was e qual to that in a group of 10 intact age-matched controls (mean 46.9 /- 3.37 cm. H2O). Penile cross-sections stained with Hart's elastic fi ber stain or Trichrome stain revealed only minimal fibrosis in the reg ion of the patch. In 3 dogs, a wedge of tunica was removed, and the de fect was covered with a segment of detubularized deep dorsal vein. Whe n sacrificed at 3 months, all animals had retained their erectile func tion with histologic evidence of minimal fibrosis. On the basis of his tologic and functional data, the venous patch appears to be a reasonab le alternative substance to those in common use.