Platelet gel preparation technique and its use in tissue repair processes in dogs; a pilot study.

platelet-rich plasma (PRP) from whole blood and combining it with thrombin and calcium or other activators to form a coagulum. This coagulum or “platelet gel” has an extremely wide range of clinical healing uses from dental surgery to orthopaedics and plastic surgery in human. Also in veterinary medicine in the last years platelet gel has been prepared in order to speed up and improve the process of regeneration of mesodermal tissues through the release of important growth factors. The literature reports about this report success of platelet gel application in horses. Differently very poor is the literature on canine platelet gel. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the efficacy of platelet gel preparation technique and its use in tissue repair pro- Vol 61, No 6 Comparative Medicine December 2011 558 cesses in dogs. The study was carried on 9 clinical cases of dogs received at our institution. A baseline hematocrit and platelet count was obtained from each in order to exclude coagulation deficit. Then 20 mL of whole blood was drawn from each dog and drained into a sterile citrated tube. Half of the total blood volume was used for the preparation of autologous thrombin. Blood (10 mL) was centrifuged at 180, 800, and 1500 rpm in order to obtain platelet concentrate. Then, a sterile plastic dish was coated with the platelets and the activator could be added to the PRP after placing it in the dish. The gel obtained was then placed over the wound in the different clinic cases. The dogs were checked 15 to 20 d after surgery with different results. In many cases the response was optimal. The main difficulties are given the actual root of the gel, which is made difficult by the absence of mechanical restraint by the tissues overlying. The effectiveness of platelet gel was highlighted particularly in the early stages of the healing process, allowing the activation of coagulation phenomena in a more rapid. In conclusion, it is possible to say that the angiogenic action of platelet gel in promoting nonspecific cellular response would allow its use to facilitate and accelerate a process that also uses other sources of supply (stem cells and others).