Porcine Small Intestine Submucosa for Soft Tissue Augmentation

Objective. Porcine small intestine submucosa was evaluated as a material for soft tissue augmentation in the hairless guinea pig model. Materials and Methods. Small intestine submucosa was formed into strips and rolls and implanted into the dorsum of the hairless guinea pig. The animals were divided into three groups and the implants were evaluated grossly and microscopically for persistence, infection, and inflammation. A total of 116 implants were evaluated grossly. Results. Selected samples from the 1‐ and 3‐month cohorts and all identifiable samples from the 5‐month cohort were evaluated microscopically. Some implants were not located, likely due to migration. With one exception, the identified implants in the 5‐month cohort exhibited minimal inflammation and appeared well tolerated. The eight‐ply small intestine submucosa material appears well tolerated and provided increased soft tissue volume at 5 months. Conclusion. Small intestine submucosa may represent an alternative to autologous and homologous materials for soft tissue augmentation.