Repair of Large Abdominal Wall Defect Using Glycerolized Bovine Tunica Vaginalis and Prolene Mesh Implants in Dogs

The repair of large abdominal defects remains a complex surgical problem of insufficient autogenous tissue for adequate reconstruction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the uses of polypropylene mesh with glycerolized tunica vaginalis (GTV) for repairing abdominal wall defects in dogs using either inlay or underlay technique of implatations. Full thickness (all the layers of muscles except the skin) abdominal wall defects (6 x 10 cm) were created in 24 healthy mongrel dogs allocated into two main equal group (n=12 each) according to the type of the prosthetic material used. Each group is subdivided into two subgroup(n= 6 each).The present study indicated that, GTV Patches are considered to be a successful alternative for reinforcement and repair of large abdominal wall defects than prolene mesh based on postmortem findings,biomechanical analysis and histopathological examination.