EXTENDED CANINE LARYNGEAL PRESERVATION FOR TRANSPLANTATION

The goal of successfully transplanting tile larynx has motivated resea rchers since the 1960s. Early laryngeal transplant techniques limited the donor larynx to 45 minutes of ischemia, In this study, a method of prolonged laryngeal preservation is employed in three canines, In viv o cold laryngeal perfusion with University of Wisconsin Solution (UWS) was performed, The larynx was removed and placed into cold storage in 4 degrees C UWS. After 24 hours of storage, the same canines underwen t laryngeal reimplantation, The animals were sacrificed 7 days after r eimplantation. No evidence of necrosis or vascular insufficiency was i dentified histologically. The results indicate that canine larynges ca n be successfully reimplanted after 24 hours of preservation, Future s tudies will assess the application of this technique to laryngeal tran splantation.