First clinical report of a new biodegradable membrane for use in urological surgery.

Following preliminary in vitro and in vivo experiments a new collagen Vicryl mesh has been devised. The membrane has been extensively tested in the laboratory and has been found to resist the passage of urine. It holds sutures well and has been shown on an experimental animal to be biodegradable. The membrane has now been applied in human subjects. It has been particularly efficacious in renal surgery and as a means of sealing a bladder after it has been opened. With respect to the ureter the sealing effect is excellent, to the extent of having produced a urinoma. The membrane has been found to be easily applied in vesicovaginal fistulae but difficulties have been experienced in the presence of infection. It is also an ideal membrane for repair of a urethrovaginal fistula--an area where natural tissues are less easily available. This is the first recorded use of this new biodegradable membrane in the human subject.