Long-term results of the implantation of glutaraldehyde-fixed tissue.

Glutaraldehyde-fixed autologous young connective tissue was implanted in rabbits for periods of 4,6,8, and 12 months, respectively, to evaluate the long-term effects of glutaraldehyde fixation. It was concluded that the implants elicit very little reaction in the surrounding tissues and that the fixed tissue is slowly invaded by vital cells and probably evokes an immune response. It is likely that, although glutaraldehyde-fixed dead tissue provokes less reaction than both unfixed and formaldehyde-fixed dead tissue, in the long term it is also broken down and phagocytized.