Extended Canine Laryngeal Preservation for Transplantation

Abstract

The goal of successfully transplanting the larynx has motivated researchers since the 1960s. Early laryngeal transplant techniques limited the donor larynx to 45 minutes of ischemia. In this study, a method of prolonged laryngeal preservation is employed in three canines. In vivo cold laryngeal perfusion with University of Wisconsin Solution (UWS) was performed. The larynx was removed and placed into cold storage in 4 degrees C UWS. After 24 hours of storage, the same canines underwent laryngeal reimplantation. The animals were sacrificed 7 days after reimplantation. No evidence of necrosis or vascular insufficiency was identified histologically. The results indicate that canine larynges can be successfully reimplanted after 24 hours of preservation. Future studies will assess the application of this technique to laryngeal transplantation.

Laryngeal transplantation in minipigs: vascular, myologic and functional outcomes

“…Previous work with dogs and rats permitted major progress, but also had limitations [12–15]. There is a limited range of immunological probes available for studying mucosal responses in dogs.…”

Anatomy of the human internal superior laryngeal nerve

“…In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Work and Boles (1965), Ogura et al, (1966), andTakenouki et al, (1967) pioneered transplantation of the canine larynx. Interest in laryngeal transplantation is currently increasing (Kluyskens and Ringoir, 1970;Silver et al, 1970;Broniatowski, 1988;Broniatowski et al, 1989;Anthony et al, 1995Anthony et al, , 1996Weed et al, 1995;Birchall, 1997;Kevorkian et al, 1997), and the first human laryngeal transplant was performed in January of 1998 (Birchall, 1998). Laryngeal transplantation is desirable and practical (Birchall, 1997), but one of the problems that needs to be solved is how to restore the motor and sensory reinnervation (Birchall, 1997).…”

Laryngeal Transplantation in 2005: A Review

“…In a controlled rat study, perfusion with the University of Wisconsin solution prevented the histological evidence of tissue damage seen after 6 h of preservation with saline alone (21). In both this study and a later dog study (2), perfusion with the University of Wisconsin solution appeared to permit ischaemic intervals as long as 24 h, as assessed macroscopically and with light microscopy. In a minipig model, Birchall's group showed no significant increase in immunologically active cell numbers following a 5‐h cold‐ischaemia time (22,23) (Figure 2C).…”

“…Lorenz described how 800 cGy of irradiation prior to implantation significantly reduced histological rejection scores at 15 days in the Strome rat model. However, this effect was not additive to that of cyclosporine (2). The long‐term effects of either of these approaches has, however, not yet been studied.…”

“…Early experiments into laryngeal transplantation used the dog. Berke's group applied modern microvascular techniques to extend this orthotopic model in the mid‐1990s (2). Haughey's subsequent successful development of a canine tongue transplant model, the only substantive study of this closely related technique, supports the continuing utility of dog models in head and neck transplantation research (3).…”