A stable large animal model for dural defect repair with biomaterials and regenerative medicine

The use of biomaterials and regenerative medicine has been well recognized as a promising means to repair dural defects. However, there have been few reports on preclinical large animal models of dural defects, which are crucial to evaluate the performances of dural repair materials. In addition, the methods of preparing animal models vary among studies. To ensure high-quality research results and prevent unnecessary financial losses, a standard method of animal model preparation needs to be established. In the present study, we designed and evaluated three different surgeries (methods A, B and C) involving different temporal muscle and skull incision techniques to prepare beagle dog dural defect model. It was found that the method C was associated with an appropriate surgical duration and better postoperative recovery without obvious complications compared with the methods A and B. Moreover, the surgical approach used in the method C avoided the potentially dense vascular region in the cranial midline an...