Influence of vessel clips on vascular patency in microarterial grafts less than 0.5 mm in external diameter.
Autogenous interpositional microarterial grafting of 140 saphenous branches of albino rat femoral arteries with an external diameter of 0.3 to 0.5 mm (mean 0.45 +/- 0.06 mm) resulted in an immediate patency rate of 100%. The patency rate observed at 72 hours was 64.3%. The late patency rate was related to blade tip pressure of the double approximator clip used in the microanastomosis. The patency rate with a clip with a blade tip pressure of 22 gm was 52.7% and that with a clip with a blade tip pressure of 2 gm was 77.3%. When arterial occlusion lasted less than 30 minutes, the late patency rate was 76.9% to 78.3%. If arterial occlusion lasted for as long as 1 hour, the late patency rate of vessels occluded by a clip with a blade tip pressure of 22 gm dropped to 27.8%. These results demonstrate that an interpositional microarterial graft as small as 0.5 mm in external diameter is clinically feasible.
D000818:Animals; D003250:Constriction; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000637:transplantation*; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular; D008833:Microcirculation / Q000601:surgery; D008866:Microsurgery / Q000295:instrumentation; D051381:Rats; D013525:Surgical Instruments