Healing of microvenous polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) prostheses implanted into the rat femoral vein by means of 3M precise.
Thirty PTFE prostheses (internal diameter, 1.0 mm; length, 5.0 mm; fibril length, 30 microns) were implanted into rats' femoral veins by means of a coupling device (3M precise microvascular anastomosis system, 3M, St Paul, MN) and evaluated with electron microscopy at regular intervals from 1 day to 3 weeks after implantation to study, in detail, the healing process. Eighty-three percent of mechanically anastomosed grafts were found to be patent. At 1 and 3 days after implantation, the whole length of PTFE was covered with a clot layer containing platelets and a fibrin network. After 1 week, endothelial-like cells originating from the anastomotic sides grew in across the anastomoses. At 3 weeks, the prostheses were completely covered by an endothelial-like cell layer. These results demonstrate that the degree of neo-endothelialization in the microvenous PTFE prosthesis anastomosed with 3M rings was not delayed, as was seen in the healing of microarterial PTFE tubing that was mechanically anastomosed.
Oguchi
H
H
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
Torii
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000601:surgery* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008866:Microsurgery; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014654:Vascular Patency; D014945:Wound Healing
D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene