Adjunctive agents to facilitate rapid tissue expansion

A rodent model was used to study tissue expansion. Three chemical agents - hyaluronidase, prostaglandin E₂ and colchicine - were administered and their effects on tissue expansion studied. Hyaluronidase and colchicine both enhanced the rate of expansion when compared with results in control animals (p < 0.05). Although prostaglandin E₂ had less effect on expansion rate, it did significantly enhance tissue oxygen tension of expanded skin when compared with controls (p < 0.05). Clinical implications include the possibility of pretreating patients with these agents to increase the rate of expansion and to improve the safety of current methods of expansion.