Total replacement of part of the canine urethra with lyophilized vein homografts.

Three centimeters of the urethra were replaced by lyophilized homograft veins in nine male dogs. The dogs were followed for up to 6 months with periodic urethrograms. The grafted lyophilized veins served as a guide for the ingrowing transitional cell epithelium. The graft caused very little tissue reaction and hardly any formation of fibrous tissue. The urethra was covered by transitional cell epithelium after 4 to 8 weeks, and eight of the nine dogs showed no signs of obstruction during the follow-up period.