Effect of perigraft seroma fluid on fibroblast proliferation in vitro.

Different theories have been postulated in the last 10 years in an attempt to explain the pathogenetic mechanisms involved in perigraft seroma formation. This paper reports our experience with in vitro analysis of the cellular composition and the effect of perigraft seroma fluid on fibroblast proliferative activity. Our results indicate that the cellular component of the fluid was almost exclusively represented by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Perigraft seroma fluid was stimulatory on fibroblast growth, while plasma samples from the patient and normal controls were inhibitory. These findings suggest that a perigraft seroma may represent a complex phenomenon which cannot be explained exclusively in terms of fibroblast stimulation or inhibition. This pattern displays a close similarity to experimental observations in the early phases of wound healing. Perigraft seroma formation could be mediated by an intense and persistent chemotactic stimulus on leukocytes, which does not allow normal progression of wound healing through fibroblast growth and collagen deposition.