Experimental Repair of Tracheal Defects with Gallbladder Mucosa

¹ The Department of Surgery, Veterans Administration Hospital and University of Washington School of Medicine.

1. New cartilage and bone formation may be consistently induced in the paratracheal area by implantation of gallbladder mucosa.

2. With the use of non-rigid tissue autografts, temporary support of the tracheal lumen with inert plastic tube stents is necessary.

3. Window defects are satisfactorily repaired with autografts of osteogenic potential. The assumption of a cartilagenous type of rigidity by the autograft permits removal of the endoluminal stent.

4. Tissue autografts with osteo or chondrogenic induction capacity offer the possibility of permanent rigid tube replacement of cylindrical tracheal defects. Such replacement has not yet been satisfactory in the absence of the stent support.