Endothelial sodding of the Permaflow prosthetic coronary artery bypass conduit.
BACKGROUND
Experiments were designed to determine the feasibility of sodding an endothelial monolayer within the lumen of a prosthetic conduit applied to the canine coronary circulation.


METHODS
Autologous endothelial cells were sodded onto the luminal surface of the Permaflow conduit and immediately implanted to bypass the left circumflex coronary artery in adult mongrel dogs (n = 9). Unsodded Permaflow conduits were implanted as controls (n = 8). At 3 weeks, grafts were explanted and examined by scanning electron microscopy and immunostained for canine von Willebrand factor.


RESULTS
Sodded grafts contained a confluent endothelial cell layer devoid of adherent thrombus or platelets and stained positively for canine von Willebrand factor. Unsodded grafts contained no endothelium and retained adherent platelets, collagen, and fibrin. Effluent from sodded grafts stimulated with calcium ionophore A23187 caused a significantly greater relaxation of its bioassay ring than effluent from unsodded grafts (60%+/-21% versus 12%+/-5%; n = 8, p < 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
Sodding of endothelial cells onto a Permaflow coronary artery bypass graft results in a confluent, viable, nonthrombogenic, endothelial monolayer and releases vasodilator substances in response to calcium ionophore A23187. Endothelial sodding may optimize prosthetic grafts.
Phillips
M R
MR
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
Yamaguchi
H
H
Miller
V M
VM
Williams
S
S
Morris
J J
JJ
Schaff
H V
HV
D000818:Animals; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods; D004285:Dogs; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000032:analysis
D014841:von Willebrand Factor