title: Glutaraldehyde-tanned mandril-grown grafts as venous substitutes.
abstract: The present study was performed to evaluate the potential of glutaraldehyde-tanned mandril-grown grafts as caval substitutes. Short-term experiments consisted of 30 tubular grafts (35 x 8 mm), either of tanned collagen or polytetrafluoroethylene, that were sutured in the infrarenal inferior vena cava of pigs and removed 1 hour after implantation. There was no significant difference between the extent of the thrombus-lined graft surface in the biologic group and that in the polytetrafluoroethylene group. The amount of inner thrombus on tanned collagen grafts was significantly correlated to platelet activity. Long-term experiments involved 30 similar segments of both materials, which were sutured in the inferior vena cava and harvested 7, 14, 28, 56, and 112 days after operation. The 112-day patency rate of collagen grafts was 67%. The 56-day patency rate of polytetrafluoroethylene grafts was 16%. The difference was statistically significant (p less than 0.01). Collagen grafts were lined by a thin neointima (200 micron) in all but two cases. The neointima was completely endothelialized within 4 weeks from implantation. In conclusion, tanned collagen grafts may represent a suitable material for venous replacement.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinica Chirurgica I, University of Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Ratto
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Truini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frascio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rovida
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Badini
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zaccheo
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D003094:Collagen; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D013552:Swine; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D003094:Collagen