Gore-Tex soft tissue bands as scleral explants in rabbits: a preliminary histologic study

Gore-Tex (polytetrafluoroethylene) grafts have been used in a variety of surgical procedures, particularly vascular, plastic, and reconstructive surgery. As suggested by previous animal studies, Gore-Tex soft tissue patches (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) may have application in ocular surgery for scleral buckling and support procedures. We buckled the scleras of 14 rabbit eyes using strips of polytetrafluoroethylene soft tissue patches and monitored ocular tissue reaction and histologic changes in response to this material.