Low-Cost Tissue Expansion Using a Saline-Based Device Shows Comparable Histological Outcomes in a Rat Model
- 1Graduate Program in Principles of Surgery, Evangelical Mackenzie College of Parana, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
Abstract
Tissue expansion is an established technique for the reconstruction of skin defects, but the cost of conventional silicone expanders may limit its application in contexts with lower resource availability. This study evaluated, in an experimental model, whether a container for storing saline solution could act as a low-cost alternative device for tissue expansion. An experimental, prospective, controlled and randomized study was carried out with 10 Wistar rats, distributed in two groups: conventional silicone expander and saline storage container. Both underwent the same surgical and expansion protocol. Abdominal circumference gain, final expanded skin length, histological and histomorphometric aspects of the skin, including collagen types I and III, as well as exploratory cost analysis, were analyzed. The conventional expander produced a greater gain in abdominal circumference, but the final length of the expanded skin was similar between the groups. Microscopic evaluation showed preservation of the cutaneous architecture, intact epidermis, cellularized dermis, and collagen deposition in both groups. There was no significant difference in the proportion of type I or type III collagen. The saline solution container had a substantially lower cost per centimeter of expanded skin than the conventional expander. These findings suggest that the saline container can produce experimental skin expansion with final length and collagen composition similar to the conventional method, at a lower cost, although additional studies are needed before clinical application.
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BibTeX
@misc{rosa2026lowcost,
title = {{Low-Cost Tissue Expansion Using a Saline-Based Device Shows Comparable Histological Outcomes in a Rat Model}},
author = {T. G. Rosa and L. C. K. da Silva and T. Z. de Abreu and J. S. Neto and J. M. Ribas Filho},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.05.756788},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756788v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Low-Cost Tissue Expansion Using a Saline-Based Device Shows Comparable Histological Outcomes in a Rat Model
AU - T. G. Rosa
AU - L. C. K. da Silva
AU - T. Z. de Abreu
AU - J. S. Neto
AU - J. M. Ribas Filho
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/05
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.05.756788
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756788v1
AB - Tissue expansion is an established technique for the reconstruction of skin defects, but the cost of conventional silicone expanders may limit its application in contexts with lower resource availability. This study evaluated, in an experimental model, whether a container for storing saline solution could act as a low-cost alternative device for tissue expansion. An experimental, prospective, controlled and randomized study was carried out with 10 Wistar rats, distributed in two groups: conventional silicone expander and saline storage container. Both underwent the same surgical and expansion protocol. Abdominal circumference gain, final expanded skin length, histological and histomorphometric aspects of the skin, including collagen types I and III, as well as exploratory cost analysis, were analyzed. The conventional expander produced a greater gain in abdominal circumference, but the final length of the expanded skin was similar between the groups. Microscopic evaluation showed preservation of the cutaneous architecture, intact epidermis, cellularized dermis, and collagen deposition in both groups. There was no significant difference in the proportion of type I or type III collagen. The saline solution container had a substantially lower cost per centimeter of expanded skin than the conventional expander. These findings suggest that the saline container can produce experimental skin expansion with final length and collagen composition similar to the conventional method, at a lower cost, although additional studies are needed before clinical application.
ER -