Rabbit oviduct mucosa healing after accidental transmucosal suture passage

The purpose of this study is to show by SEM the characteristics of mucosal healing related to the presence of intraluminal sutures of nylon (nonabsorbable) or dexon (absorable) in the rabbit oviduct. Altogether, 30 animals with anastomosis in the isthmus were killed 2, 4, 8, or 12 weeks after the operation. Tubular structures or pieces of thread partially or completely covered by the epithelium were found n 36.8% of these cases. Independently of the suture material used, already 2 weeks after surgery, the thread was covered by an epithelium composed mostly of squamous cells and some rare ciliated cells. At 4 weeks, the proportion of ciliated cells was increased. Regions with the usual cellular morphology and repartition of the different cellular types were also observed. However, at 8 and 12 weeks, islets of atypical squamous cells persisted in areas of transmucosal passage of the suture material. At 12 weeks, the dexon suture was not yet completely absorbed.