A NEWLY DEVELOPED COLLAGEN SILICONE BILAYER-MEMBRANE AS A MUCOSAL SUBSTITUTE - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT/

A new bilayer membrane proved effective as a mucosal substitute. The m embrane is composed of an outer layer of silicone and an inner layer o f dehydrothermally cross linked composites of fibrillar and denatured collagen sponge. The membrane was placed on oral mucosal defects of fi ve patients after operations for cancer. Ten to 14 days after applicat ion the outer silicone sheet was removed, leaving only the inner colla gen sponge layer into which cellular tufts of fibroblasts and capillar ies had infiltrated. The infiltrated collagen matrix became a new conn ective tissue that epithelialised rapidly by migration of peripheral e pithelium 4-5 weeks after application. In all cases the postoperative course was unremarkable and the repair was effective.