HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Shinichi Satoh Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zweep, H.-P. Articles by Wildevuur, C. R. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zweep, H.-P. Articles by Wildevuur, C. R. H.

Ann Thorac Surg 1993;56:1117-1122
© 1993 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

---

Articles

Degradation of a supporting prosthesis can optimize arterialization of autologous veins

^a Cardiopulmonary Surgery, Research Division, University Hospital Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
^b Department of Biomaterials, University Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands

Accepted for publication December 31, 1992.

^_* Address reprint requests to Dr Wildevuur, Cardiopulmonary Surgery Research Division, University Hospital Groningen, Oustersingel 59, 9713 EZ Groningen, The Netherlands.

In a previous study, we implanted autologous vein grafts in the carotid artery of rabbits supported by a compliant, biodegradable prosthesis to prevent vein wall damage due to the higher arterial pressure. We showed that such a supporting prosthesis indeed reduces damage to these vein grafts and allows for more regular and gradual arterialization than that afforded by unsupported vein grafts. To evaluate the influence of the rate of biodegradation of such a supporting prosthesis on the process of arterialization of autologous vein grafts, we implanted vein grafts supported with prostheses, which degrade within 3 weeks (group I), 6 weeks (group II), or 3 months (group III), into the carotid artery of rabbits, and then evaluated them up to 6 weeks after implantation. At 6 weeks, the group I vein grafts showed a thinner vein wall than did the adjacent artery during dilatation. In group II, the vein wall thickness and luminal diameter had completely adjusted to that of the adjacent carotid artery. The group III vein grafts showed a significantly thinner vein wall in the absence of dilatation. All supported vein grafts showed regular longitudinally oriented and, in some areas, circularly orianted cell layers, together with thin elastic laminae, which were most pronounced in group II. We conclude that a supporting, compliant prosthesis can stimulate, regulate, and optimize the arterialization of autologous vein grafts in rabbits, if the rate of degradation is carefully chosen, the radius and wall thickness of the vein graft can completely adjust to that of the adjacent artery. Such a prosthesis might therefore optimally improve the longterm patency and biologic fate of these vein grafts.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. Zilla, P. Human, M. Wolf, W. Lichtenberg, N. Rafiee, D. Bezuidenhout, N. Samodien, C. Schmidt, and T. Franz Constrictive external nitinol meshes inhibit vein graft intimal hyperplasia in nonhuman primates J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., September 1, 2008; 136(3): 717 - 725. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Y. Jeremy, R. Bulbulia, J. L. Johnson, P. Gadsdon, V. Vijayan, N. Shukla, F. C. T. Smith, and G. D. Angelini A bioabsorbable (polyglactin), nonrestrictive, external sheath inhibits porcine saphenous vein graft thickening J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., June 1, 2004; 127(6): 1766 - 1772. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Q. Liu Focal Expression of Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor and Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation in the Neointima of Experimental Vein Grafts : Relation to Eddy Blood Flow Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, November 1, 1999; 19(11): 2630 - 2639. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Brauner, H. Laks, D. C. Drinkwater Jr., G. Chaudhuri, O. Shvarts, T. Drake, S. Bhuta, D. Mishaly, I. Fishbein, and G. Golomb CONTROLLED PERIADVENTITIAL ADMINISTRATION OF VERAPAMIL INHIBITS NEOINTIMAL SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL PROLIFERATION AND AMELIORATES VASOMOTOR ABNORMALITIES IN EXPERIMENTAL VEIN BYPASS GRAFTS J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., July 1, 1997; 114(1): 53 - 63. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A. Chaux, X. M. Ruan, M. C. Fishbein, M. Sandhu, and J. M. Matloff INFLUENCE OF VEIN VALVES IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ARTERIOSCLEROSIS IN VENOARTERIAL GRAFTS IN THE RABBIT J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., November 1, 1995; 110(5): 1381 - 1390. [Abstract] [Full Text]