A comparison of preservation techniques in a vascularized rat laryngeal transplant model

In earlier laryngeal transplantation studies by Takenouchi, et al., the longest ischemic interval tolerated was 45 minutes. A new animal model and enhanced preservative solutions made reassessment timely. This study evaluated two determinants of graft viability: 1. the duration of ischemia and 2. the composition of the preservative media. Three groups of viable transplants were assessed. Groups I and II were preserved with iced heparinized saline with respective ischemic intervals of 3 and 6 hours. Group III was preserved with the Wisconsin solution during a 20-hour ischemic interval. All animals were sacrificed at 24 hours. Representative sections of group I confirmed viability whereas group II exhibited both clinical and histologic evidence of irreversible vascular change. In contrast, most representative sections in group III had little demonstrable change. These data suggest that laryngeal allografts can endure prolonged ischemic intervals if properly maintained.