Polyester prostheses as substitutes in the thoracic aorta of dogs. I. Evaluation of commercial prostheses.

Using canine models, a representative selection of polyester or Dacron vascular prostheses, including woven, knitted, and velour types, were evaluated for their relative healing characteristics and for their structural changes during implantation. Following residence periods ranging from 4 h to 6 months at the site of the thoracic aorta, the dogs were sacraficed, and the grafts were excized for measurement of the thrombogenicity of the flow surface and for pathological examination by light microscopy and SEM. The kidneys were also removed and examined for infarcts caused by any trapped circulating emboli. The extent of healing, the presence of embolizing nuclei, and the thrombogenicity and morphology of the lumen surface were also assessed. The healing characteristics of each type of device proved similar. Velour fabrics exhibited more extensive encapsulation, but frequently their internal capsules failed to incorporate all the fibers. In all cases, cellular development on the lumen was limited to areas contiguous to the anastomoses. The initial porosity of the devices as measured by water permeability did not appear to influence the healing sequence to a significant extent. The grafts did exhibit differences in structural stability depending on whether they were of a knitted or woven construction. We suggest that users consider these different mechanical and structural properties when making their choice of a graft. Despite these differences, we believe that the healing process is far more host dependent than graft dependent.