Differences in endothelial function and morphologic modulation between canine autogenous venous and arterial grafts: endothelium and intimal thickening.
BACKGROUND
Late graft failure is still a problem for vascular surgeons. A previous study showed superior patency of arterial grafts compared with venous grafts. In this review we discuss the differences in functional and morphologic modulation of experimental autogenous venous and arterial grafts.


RESULTS
In canine venous grafts, the endothelium of the graft was denuded and recovered within 3 or 4 weeks. In contrast, in arterial grafts, denudation of the endothelium was minimal, and no platelet adherence was observed. Instead, nearly normal intact endothelial cell surface had covered the intima within 3 days after grafting. The histologic findings for arterial grafts thus were quite different from those for venous grafts. Different responses to flow changes between venous and arterial grafts were observed. In the venous grafts, pronounced intimal thickening was associated with impairment of endothelial responses, whereas in the arterial grafts, intact endothelial function and no intimal thickening were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The intact endothelial function and absence of intimal thickening under the arterial grafts may explain the superior patency of autogenous arterial grafts in comparison with venous grafts.
Komori
Kimihiro
K
Department of Surgery and Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Inoguchi
Hiroyuki
H
Kume
Masazumi
M
Shoji
Tetsuya
T
Furuyama
Tadashi
T
D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D004285:Dogs; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D006085:Graft Survival; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology; D014680:Veins / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*