Neovaginoplasty with tilapia fish skin: a series of eleven cases

Introduction and hypothesis Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome affects about 1 in 5000 live female births and is associated with gonadal dysgenesis and primary amenorrhea. Neovaginoplasty has been established as an appropriate treatment option for patients who have failed or denied dilation therapy. In search of accessible, economical material with low risk of complications, the team proposed the use of Nile tilapia fish skin (NTFS) as an innovative biomaterial in the neovaginoplasty procedure for vaginal agenesis management. NTFS has noninfectious microbiota, morphologic structure comparable to human skin and high in vivo bioresorption. Methods In this descriptive study, the method offered an anatomical and functional neovagina to 11 patients efficiently, quickly and safely. Correct post-surgical dilation is still extremely important to keep the neovagina's size > 6 cm. Results Histological and immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated the formation of a stratified squamous epithelium with strong marking for cytokeratins, FGF and EGFR, similar to healthy adult vaginal tissue. Conclusions Since NTFS is a low cost and easily accessible biomaterial, this technique proves to be an inexpensive therapeutic possibility for the health system with excellent advantages for patients.