SKIN GRAFTING IN HORSES USING A MODIFIED MEEK TECHNIQUE

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SKIN GRAFTING IN HORSES USING A MODIFIED MEEK TECHNIQUE

Jacintha M. Wilmink, R. van den Boom, P.R. van Weeren, A. Barneveld
Equine Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Yale laan 12, 3584 CM Utrecht, The Netherlands

Traumatic wounds occur frequently in horses and many of them heal by second-intention. This process takes a long time, especially when the limbs are involved. The epithelialization rate can be increased by skin grafting. However, the take of skin grafts in horses is frequently disappointing. This is probably caused by the presence of chronic inflammation in these wounds. Furthermore, the thickness of grafts and the method used can influence the take of skin grafts.
It was hypothesized that the use of a modified Meek technique would improve the results of skin grafting. In this technique, small partial-thickness skin grafts are used. The take of each graft is independent of the take of others. Hence, local disturbances in wound healing will not affect take of the grafts as a whole.
Fifteen limb wounds greater than 6 by 6 cm were prepared aseptically. Two days before surgery, corticosteroids were locally applied once to decrease the inflammatory response. Just before grafting, wound excision was performed. After grafting the limbs were immobilized by a rigid cast. Ten days after surgery the casts were removed.
The over-all take of these type of grafts was more than 95%. Epithelialization rate increased, but also wound contraction was stimulated. Furthermore, the quality of the granulation tissue improved considerably and inflammation decreased. These results are substantially better than reported so far. These beneficial effects may act through the release of growth factors by the splitt-thickness skin grafts. However, this should be researched further. Also pretreatment and aftercare of the wounds may have a significant effect.

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