Amnioplastin: A Warning

This note is intended as a warning against the clinical use of the membrane when improperly prepared. Amnioplastin, which was described in a recent number of the Journal,' is prepared from human amniotic membrane for the purpose of preventing adhesions between dura mater and lacerated brain. In the experiments described by these authors the membrane was soaked in alcohol, followed by boiling in distilled water for twenty minutes. An alternative method was proposed which substituted dry sterilization in the autoclave for the boiling. An unsatis- factory result with membrane prepared by this alternative method must now be reported.