Rat epigastric pedicle model: a clinically relevant evaluation of 1-mm PTFE grafts.
Twenty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats had 1.0-mm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) interposition grafts placed in their femoral artery that supplied a 3.0 X 3.0 cm epigastric pedicle flap. The model is the first to evaluate 1.0-mm PTFE under rigorous, clinically simulating conditions. Anastomoses employed a new, continuous telescoping suture technique. Grafts were selected for histological and electron microscopic evaluation, which confirmed the development of a cellular neointimal lining. Viability of the flap model had a 90% correlation with graft patency. Overall graft patency was 50%. Patency was documented in some specimens harvested at 200 days. The flap model is a good indicator of graft patency. PTFE grafts of 1.0-mm internal diameter are not yet equivalent to autologous veins. Future refinements, particularly aseptic technique, are expected to result in even higher patency rates.
D000005:Abdomen / Q000098:blood supply*; D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D006085:Graft Survival; D008954:Models, Biological; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D013536:Suture Techniques
D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene