ABSTRACT
The efficacy of surgical tissue adhesives can be evaluated in terms of host tissue response, adhesive strength, and clinical performance. This presentation will review several different methods for testing response and adhesive strength. The primary parameters for clinical performance include ease of use, clinical applications, and clinical need. Host tissue response to tissue adhesives can be tested using many different methods. It was preferable to use one of several animal models that quantitate the degree of host tissue response elicited by a surgical tissue adhesive. The rabbit ear model is one of the most sensitive animal models for testing host tissue toxicity. Surgical tissue adhesives are presently used for tissue bonding, tissue sealing, and hemostasis. In most cases of tissue bonding, adhesives are used in combination with sutures. This is due primarily to the lack of binding strength of adhesives presently used for tissue bonding.
