Polyglycolic acid mesh in repair of renal injury.

To evaluate the use of a polyglycolic acid (PGA) mesh graft for partial nephrectomy, we replaced the upper pole of the left kidney in 12 New Zealand white rabbits with a free omental fat graft and the lower pole with PGA mesh. The mesh stopped the bleeding immediately during the operation. At forty-eight hours, the fibers were still intact, with an organized clot on the surface of the mesh. Between two weeks and two months, the fibers had begun to be digested by histiocytes, with formation of giant cells and fibroblastic proliferation with collagen deposition around the mesh. At three months, there was complete resorption of the PGA mesh and formation of a new fibrous capsule. There was no renal reaction and no difference between the PGA mesh and the omental fat graft. We believe that PGA mesh can be helpful in repairing injured kidneys by securing hemostasis and serving as a scaffold for the formation of a new capsule.