Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Recently, vascularized autologous submandibular gland transplantation for treating severe keratoconjunctivitis sicca has achieved better therapeutic effects in clinic; however, dacryorrhea as postoperative complication was observed usually. Patients needed another or more operations to partly excise transplanted gland to reduce the symptom of dacryorrhea. For decreasing the complication of dacryorrhea post-operation, the feasibility of partly submandibular gland autotransplantation is still needed to be verified.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of partly submandibular gland transplantation in rabbits.
METHODS: The two third part of left submandibular gland was transfered to the space beneath temple skin with blood vessel anastomosis technique of microsurgery. At 14 days post-operation, the graft was taken out to observe pathological changes with HE staining.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Seven out of 15 survival rabbits had normal pathological structure of graft, and normal value of 6 cases was about 30% or even more, that of only 2 was less than 30%. The results suggested that partly submandibular gland transferring in rabbit model was feasibility and worth for treating dacryorrhea.