The fate of the split thickness skin graft in neovaginas. A pathologic study of 21 cases and a review of the literature.

Twenty-one cases of congenital absence of the vagina corrected by McIndoe's procedure were examined. The longest follow-up was 21 years (average 10.5 years). Vaginal biopsies showed a spectrum of changes, ranging from an almost normal vaginal mucous membrane to a skin-like mucous membrane. Neither hormonal status nor postoperative complication, nor the time the graft had been in place, correlated to histology, and we suggest that the varied appearance of the graft epithelium depends on the amount of corium included in the transplant.