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The present study was conducted with the
objectives of:
1. Evaluating the suitability of processed collagen
based oesophageal allografts as a biological tissue
substitute for hernioplasty in pigs and
ii. Comparing the healing in herniorrhaphy and
hernioplasty, in pigs.
Twelve clinical cases of umbilical hernia in pigs of
either sex, aged two to three months were used in the study.
The animals were divided into two groups (Group I and Group
Il) of six animals each based on the size of hernial ring.
Group I animals were subjected to herniorrhaphy and Group
Il animals were subjected to hernioplasty.
Fresh pieces of oesophagus collected from
slaughtered pigs were processed and cross-linked with
gl u taraldehyde to prepare the graft.
Triflupromazine hydrochloride was administered
at the rate of 1.5 mgjkg body weight IjM to all the animals
and local infiltration anaesthesia using lignocaine

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hydrochloride at the site was employed for the surgical
procedures.
In five animals of Group I where the hernial
contents were reducible, simple reduction and overlapping
mattress sutures with silk were employed for closing the
hernial ring. In one animal where it was irreducible,
enterotomy was performed to remove the intestinal contents
before reduction and herniorrhaphy.
In all the six animals of Group II, the hernial ring
was large, and the contents were reducible. After reduction,
the edges of hernial ring were sutured using silk by simple
interrupted sutures, to reduce the size of hernial ring.
Processed oesophageal allografts were placed as an only graft
over the suture line and fixed using silk sutures.
All the animals became active and alert within
24 hours postoperatively except the one, which underwent
enterotomy and herniorrhaphy. The surgical site was
dressed daily and skin sutures were removed on the seventh
postoperative day. In one animal of Group I wound infection
resulted in skin wound disruption, which was surgically
treated as open wound. Recurrence of hernia was noticed in
one animal of Group I, 24 days after herniorrhaphy.
Marginal increase in rectal temperature, pulse
rate and respiration rate were observed during early

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postoperative period in all the animals and it became normal
within seven days after surgery.
Marginal decrease in haemoglobin concentration
was noticed during postoperative period in all the animals
but it reached near normal level by 21 st postoperative day.
Marginal increase in packed cell volume and total leucocyte
count was observed up to third postoperative day.
Neutrophilia and lymphopenia was noticed during early
postsurgical period but reached near normal level by 14th
postoperative day.
Marginal decrease in total serum protein was
noticed during postoperative period but was normal by 21 st
postoperative day. Serum sodium and potassium level did
not show any significant variation and the changes were
within the normal range.
Tissue samples were collected from surgical site
from three animals each of Group I and Group II on 180 and
195 days respectively for biomechanical studies, gross and
histomorphological changes. The tensile strength was greater
. in Group II animals than Group I and normal animals. There
was no adhesion of viscera at the surgical site. Remnants of
silk suture could be identified in all the animals. The
histomorphological study indicated complete healing and
replacement of the graft material without any untoward
effect.