{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:58:13Z","timestamp":1760147893937,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,12]],"date-time":"2023-03-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1678579200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Department of Surgery John C. McDonald Chair Fund"},{"name":"Department of Surgery Whitney Boggs Endowed Professorship Fund"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Vaginal atresia is seen in genetic disorders such as Mayer\u2013Rokitansky\u2013K\u00fcster\u2013Hauser (MRKH) syndrome, which can cause significant sexual dysfunction. Current treatments include surgical reconstruction or mechanical dilation of the vaginal canal. Mechanical dilation requires patients to be highly motivated and compliant while surgical reconstruction has high rates of complications. This study evaluated a novel vaginal expansion sleeve (VES) method as an alternative treatment for vaginal atresia. The proprietary cylindrical VES is a spring-like device consisting of polyethylene terephthalate helicoid trusses capped at each end with a fixed diameter resin cap for fixation within tissues. Following the development of the VES and mechanical characterization of the force\u2013length relationships within the device, we deployed the VES in Sprague Dawley rat vaginas anchored with nonabsorbable sutures. We measured the VES length\u2013tension relationships and post-implant vaginal canal expansion ex vivo. Vaginal histology was examined before and after implantation of the VES devices. Testing of 30 mm sleeves without caps resulted in an expansion force of 11.7 \u00b1 3.4 N and 2.0 \u00b1 0.1 N at 50% and 40%, respectively. The implanted 20 mm VES resulted in 5.36 mm \u00b1 1.18 expansion of the vaginal canal, a 32.5 \u00b1 23.6% increase (p = 0.004, Student t test). Histological evaluation of the VES implanted tissue showed a significant thinning of the vaginal wall when the VES was implanted. The novel VES device resulted in a significant expansion of the vaginal canal ex vivo. The VES device represents a unique alternative to traditional mechanical dilation therapy in the treatment of vaginal atresia and represents a useful platform for the mechanical distension of hollow compartments, which avoids reconstructive surgeries and progressive dilator approaches.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering10030351","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,13]],"date-time":"2023-03-13T03:28:33Z","timestamp":1678678113000},"page":"351","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["\u2018Distraction Vaginogenesis\u2019: Preliminary Results Using a Novel Method for Vaginal Canal Expansion in Rats"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-7041-1095","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hannah","family":"Meyer","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lexus","family":"Trosclair","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sean D.","family":"Clayton","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Collyn","family":"O\u2019Quin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6827-7901","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zachary","family":"Connelly","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ross","family":"Rieger","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nhi","family":"Dao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ahmed","family":"Alhaque","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Andrew","family":"Minagar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Luke A.","family":"White","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0994-5724","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giovanni","family":"Solitro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopedic Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mila","family":"Shah-Bruce","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9443-7163","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valerie L.","family":"Welch","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Stephanie","family":"Villalba","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Louisiana State University in Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71115, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6975-3711","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonathan Steven","family":"Alexander","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Donald","family":"Sorrells","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery, LSU Health Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,3,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"352","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jpag.2011.06.003","article-title":"Management of vaginal agenesis","volume":"25","author":"Nakhal","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. 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