Method to create and maintain the patency of the bovine mammary papilla.

The patency of mammary papillae was reestablished after surgically induced injury. Perforated prosthetic tubes with affixed Dacron tubing or Teflon strips were implanted in 18 abraded papillae of lactating dairy cows and were secured with sutures. Wound healing was assessed by palpation and visual inspection. All wounds, with one exception, healed by first intention. Machine milking, reinstituted on day 5 after surgery, caused no apparent discomfort. Grossly and histopathologically, all implants stimulated a variable degree of mucosal metaplasia and hyperplasia. Only implants with Teflon strips became anchored by fibrotic invasion. Mastitis, tube migration, and milk fistulas were complications of the procedure.