TWO-STEP GRAFTING OF THE FULL THICKNESS SKIN DEFECTS IN PIGS USING THE COMPOSITE OF ATELOCOLLAGEN AND HYALURONIC ACID

The reconstruction of resistant and pliable skin in vivo is not possible without the substitution of its dermal component. To explore the feasibility of two-step grafting of full-thickness skin defects, an animal experiment was carried out. Twelve large white female pigs weighing 30 kg were used. The full-thickness wounds created were 5 x 5 cm in size. The composite of bovine atelocollagen and hyaluronic acid (HyproDerm) was implanted as the dermal substitute in the first step. The overgrafting of this composite with a thin epidermal autograft followed as the second step ten days later. Planimetric, histologic and clinical evaluations (using the Vancouver Scar Score) of healed wounds were carried out. Studied wounds were compared with those left for spontaneous healing and those grafted immediately using dermoepidermal graft without any dermal substitute. 1. Planimetric measurements have shown that the average area of the treated defects was 1 245.2 mm2, the average area of untreated defects was 386.2 mm2 and the area of immediately grafted defects was 677.8 mm2, one month after the injury. These differences were statistically significant (p < 0.001). 2. Very good vascularisation and colonisation by fibroblasts with immediate production o