Granulation tissue formation in viscose cellulose sponges of different design

Granulation tissue formation was studied in subcutaneously implanted viscose cellulose sponges of different design using histological and chemical methods. Two different models of sponges were used, one of cubical shape and another rectangular and thin. The sponges had the same weight. After one week of implantation, histological examination of the cubical sponges showed granulation tissue only in the periphery and a central cavity filled with inflammatory cells. The histological texture of the thin sponges showed that they were almost completely filled with granulation tissue with a minimal central cavity and very few inflammatory cells. DNA values of the cubical sponges were about 20% higher than those of the thin sponges. After aspiration of the exudate in the cubical sponges, the DNA values were about the same as those in the thin sponges. The amount of hydroxyproline and RNA were about the same regardless of whether the sponges were cubic or thin or the exudate of the cubic sponges had been aspirated or not. At two weeks there was still a central cavity in the cubic sponges but very few inflammatory cells. DNA values at this time of observation were also the same in both models of sponges. Thus the thin-shaped model of sponge seems to be preferable to the cubic one when the time of observation is shorter than two weeks.