Ureteral replacement in the dog using ethanol preserved glutaraldehyde umbilical vein

Summary

ETHANOL preserved glutaraldehyde vein was tried as a ureteral substitute in the dog. In 11 greyhound dogs the ureter was ligated about midway between the kidney and bladder to create the obstructive pattern encountered clinically. Two weeks later a segment of umbilical vein graft (Dardik Bio-Implant) was inserted between the dilated ureter and the bladder. Three dogs died from unrelated causes in the course of the project. In the remaining 8 dogs the kidney on the side of the graft continued to become progressively obstructed with resultant destruction. The graft appeared to behave as an obstructive element in all instances. In all cases the suture line became heavily infected with a wide variety of organisms. The area of the anastomosis showed granular tissue formation with fibrosis and no significant attempt at urothelialisation of the graft. We conclude that ethanol preserved glutaraldehyde umbilical vein is not a satisfactory substitute for the ureter.