Development of a porcine animal model for XXXX repair using autologous urothelial cells.

@entity850 @entity3832
OBJECTIVE: To present a versatile large animal model for @entity850 repair using autologous urothelial cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 male minipigs were used. An artificial @entity850 model was established using suture-ligation, thermo-coagulation and internal urethrotomy. A vesicostomy served for urinary diversion. @entity850 formation was confirmed radiologically and histologically. Autologous urothelial cells were harvested from bladder washings, cultivated and labeled. Internal urethrotomy was done in all, and the cultivated cells were injected into the urethrotomy wound. All animals were sacrificed after 4 or 8 weeks. Immunohistology was done to confirm the presence of autologous urothelial cells within the reconstituted urethra. RESULTS: @entity850 formation was verified with all three methods. Histologically, no significant differences in the severity of @entity850 development could be observed with regard to the method used. The autologous urothelial cells in the area of the urethrotomy could be detected in the urothelium and the corpus spongiosum until 8 weeks after re-implantation. CONCLUSIONS: We created a reliable and reproducible porcine model for artificial @entity3832 . Autologous urothelial cells can be implanted into an artificial @entity850 after urethrotomy. These cells retain their epithelial phenotype and are integrated in the resident urothelium. Further comparative studies are needed to ultimately determine a superior efficacy of this novel approach.
