Comparison of Morphological and Histological Characteristics of Human and Sheep: Sheep as a Potential Model for Testing Midurethral Slings in vivo.

Introduction: The sheep was evaluated as a potential model for preclinical evaluation of urethral slings in vivo based on: (1) anatomical measurements of the sheep vagina and (2) histological tissue integration and host response to polypropylene (PP) slings.

Methods: Eight female, multiparous sheep were utilized. Three of 8 animals underwent surgery mimicking human tension-free vaginal tape protocols for midurethral slings and were euthanized at 6 months.