Surgical Repair of the Kidney After Blunt Lesions of Intermediate Degree Using A Vicryl Mesh: An Experimental Study

Abstract

Twelve experimentally induced blunt renal lesions in pigs were treated either with an alloplastic renal capsule made of semi-elastic Vicryl mesh or with homologous pig fibrin adhesive or with through-and-through chromic catgut sutures as controls. The Vicryl mesh capsule was made by the Ethnor Company (Paris, France) to our specifications. The postoperative isotope nephrograms, which were repeated until the Vicryl had been fully resorbed, showed good renal function in every case. However, when compared to the controls, the kidneys which had been repaired with Vicryl mesh contained considerably less scar tissue at the site of parenchymal rupture and showed neither perirenal fibrosis nor atrophy of the parenchyma in the vicinity of the capsule. Our preliminary results seem to confirm that simple and rapid surgical treatment of moderately severe blunt renal lesions is possible using the alloplastic Vicryl mesh capsule. The method may also be suitable for reconstruction of the parenchyma following multiple nephrotomies, such as for removal of staghorn calculus, and experimental investigations are under way to clarify this point.