Observations on stability and contraction of composite skin grafts: xenodermis or allodermis with an isograft overlay.

Composite skin grafts of xenodermis or allodermis with a thin split-thickness isograft overlay were evaluated for stability and contraction. Male inbred Lewis rats were used as recipients, with Buffalo rats serving as allogeneic dermis donors. Cryopreserved human skin was used for xenodermis grafts. The two components of the composite graft, the xenodermis or allodermis and the isograft overlay, were grafted in one operation to a surgically created wound. Wounds were observed for 1 year. The composite skin grafts took fairly well, although spotty loss of the overlaid isograft was noted. The xenodermis and allodermis remained grossly intact even at 1 year after grafting. However, composite skin grafts in this animal model contracted more than did sheet isografts alone.