Abstract
Objective: Basic surgical procedures in neurosurgery require proper opening of the pia-arachnoidal and dural membranes surrounding the central nervous system and then the completion of the surgical procedure followed by watertight closure. The main purpose of this study was to examine the usability of ovoid and ovamucoid rich egg whites in the repair of pia-arachnoidal and dural membranes.
Material and Methods: In this experimental study, 4 uncovered fresh cadaveric calf brains were used. In the frontal and parietal lobes of the brains, dura was cut by 2 centimeters and the egg white was applied on a total of 16 dura incision areas as a thin strip. The same procedure was also performed for 16 incision sites of the pia-arachnoid membrane that was cut by 1.5 centimeters. Thin sections were taken from the incised and egg white applied areas and examined histopathologically. After coagulation of the egg whites applied on the dura and pia-arachnoid membranes, the water resistance was evaluated mechanically and histopathologically.
Results: Histopathological examinations showed that ovalbumin and ovamucoid found in the egg white had an adhesive effect on the brain membranes. It was also observed that the egg white contents provided protective properties by adhering to the fibrous tissues and prevented the fluid passage in mechanical tests.
Conclusion: We think that this experimental training model will contribute to dura and pia-arachnoid repair in neurosurgery. In addition, we believe that oncoming studies on egg whites may contribute to the development of systems for tissue glue, mechanical barrier and tissue repair in the future. But, in order to include egg white contents in clinical practice, detailed histopathological and biochemical studies are needed to be performed on live experimental animals.