title: Effect of cryopreservation on patency and histological changes of arterial isogeneic and allogeneic grafts in the rat model.
abstract: Vascular grafting is used frequently in the management of length discrepancies between blood vessels. Cryopreservation permits vascular graft storage and aids availability; however, long-term patency of cryopreserved arterial allografts is not well established. Fifty Fisher and 55 Wistar rats were used in the study. Thirty-eight cryopreserved Fisher femoral arterial grafts were transplanted into the femoral arteries of 15 Fisher (cryoisografts) and 23 Wistar rats (cryoallografts). Thirty-two fresh Fisher arterial grafts were implanted into 32 Wistar femoral arteries (fresh allografts). The animals were killed at 1, 4, and 8 months in each group, and graft patency was assessed. One-month graft patency was 100% in all groups. At 4 months, graft patencies were 86%, 100%, and 75% in the cryoisografts, cryoallografts, and fresh allografts respectively. All cryoisografts and fresh allografts were patent, whereas all the cryoallografts were occluded at 8 months ( < 0.01). Cryopreserved rat arterial allografts offered satisfactory graft patency up to 4 months after implantation and may therefore be applicable clinically in selected cases.
authors.affiliation: Microsurgical Replantation-Transplantation Department, The Buncke Clinic, California Pacific Medical Center, 45 Castro Street, Suite 140N, San Francisco, CA 94114, USA.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Komorowska-Timek
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: De-Yuan
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lineaweaver
authors.forename: Harry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Buncke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D006085:Graft Survival; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic; D014654:Vascular Patency