TISSUE-REACTIONS TO BACTERIA-INOCULATED RAT LEAD SAMPLES .1. EFFECT OF LOCAL GENTAMICIN RELEASE THROUGH VICINAL SPONGE OR SOLUTION-DIPPING

The effect of local gentamicin release through a vicinal collagen spon ge or through preoperative solution-dipping of rat lead samples was in vestigated in an early-infection model. The efficacy of these methods and their effect on tissue response were determined. It was demonstrat ed that both methods of local gentamicin release suppress lead-related infectious complications as compared to the control lead, which showe d a high presence of inflamed/infected tissues and bacterial growth at each explantation time point. The first day the vicinal collagen spon ge was more effective in suppressing the infection than was the soluti on-dipped lead, probably because there is a faster and higher dose rel ease of gentamicin from the sponge. However, continued implantation ti me revealed that gentamicin release from the solution-dipped lead was more effective than the sponge. This supports our hypothesis that the presence of lumina are decisive for bacterial growth and persistence o f implant-related infections. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.