[Experimental study on brain tissue of microfibrillar collagen hemostat (Avitene)]

Microfibrillar collagen hemostat (Avitene) is a new absorbable topical hemostatic agent, of which hemostatic mechanisms are adhesion to the bleeding site and platelet aggregation. Avitene was used to obtain hemostasis and compared with Gelfoam or Oxycel in the injured cerebral cortex in a rabbit. The animals were killed and the lesions were examined grossly and microscopically to evaluate its biocompatibility in the cerebral cortex. Histopathological examinations revealed that Avitene was biocompatible with cerebral cortex in a rabbit. Electroencephalographies did not show the epileptogenic focus when Avitene was applied on the cerebral cortex in a rabbit. It has been applied for the bleeding during surgery for several years. Its effectiveness of hemostasis has been well known. This study indicated that Avitene is very effective and safe to use as a topical hemostatic agent during craniotomy in a rabbit. Therefore, this agent may be useful in a patient with minor and diffuse bleeding in the neurosurgical field.