Chest wall reconstruction with polycaprolactone reinforced with degradable chitin short fiber in dogs / 第二军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the application of a novel degradable biomaterial-short chitin fiber reinforced polycaprolactone (PCL) as a chest wall prosthesis, so as to assess its feasibility in clinical chest wall recomstruction. Methods: Two kinds of chest wall defects models (10 cm×10 cm) were established in the present study, namely, group I with simple rib resection (n=2) and group II with full-thickness resection (the ribs, rib periosteum, intercostal muscle, parietal pleura, n=8). The defects in both groups were repaired with short chitin fiber reinforced PCL plates. The implanted chest wall prosthesis and the regeneration of the chest wall tissue were dynamically observed postoperatively by X-ray, CT scanning, and histological examinations. Results: No operative/peri-operative death was observed in both groups; flail chest and paradoxical movement were not found in dogs. In group I neogenetic bone tissues were found growing along the surface of chest wall prosthesis and new ribs appeared between prosthesis and parietal pleura. In group II artificial chest wall prosthesis integrated tightly with chest wall ribs and muscle tissues around. Conclusion: Degradable chitin fiber reinforced PCL has fine biocompatibility and can provide effective support for chest walls, making it a promising biomaterial for chest wall reconstruction.