EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF COLLAGEN SPONGE AS A DURAL GRAFT

Early collagen products, when used as dural substitutes, promoted severe inflammatory responses and fell into disrepute. A more recent advance, collagen sponge, which is derived from bovine flexor tendons was used in this experimental study. Collagen sponge was surgically implanted as an onlay dural replacement graft following skull trephination and dural excision in 12 primates. Macroscopic, histological and electron-microscopical evaluations were performed at periods of 1, 3 and 9 months. This preliminary animal study indicated that collagen sponge is suitable to use as a graft since it does not induce any inflammatory response or adhesions in the absence of pia arachnoid injury. It forms an ideal scaffold for the early ingrowth of fibroblasts to effect dural repair.