As an tracheal prosthesis, Marlex mesh (polyethylene) covered by autologous pericardium was used. The longest survival of 6 months was obtained in an experimental dog. However, due to difficulty in obtaining a sufficient size of autologous pericardium, it seems to be difficult for clinical use.
As the next step, we used human fibrin membrane as the covering material over the Marlex mesh. On 10 mongrel dogs, seven rings of tracheal cartilages were resected and the Marlex mesh as the skeletal structure were implanted at the defect, where the human fibrin membrane was covered around the graft.
4 weeks after the implantation, the fibrin membrane was observed to be gradually absorbed, and by the end of 8 weeks, complete absorption of the fibrin membrane and, instead, a dense granulation tissues covering the artificial trachea were observed. None of the 10 implanted tracheal prostheses have shown dislocation, deformity, or significant stenosis. One of the dogs is still alive for 8 months after the transplantation.
From the results of our present observation, it was concluded that the human fibrin membrane was considered to be excellent covering material for the tracheal prosthesis and that this method was considered to be more feasible for clinical use.
