Seeding Dacron arterial prostheses with peritoneal mesothelial cells: a preliminary morphological study.

A preliminary laboratory study has been undertaken using dogs, in which porous Dacron arterial prostheses have been seeded with autologous peritoneal mesothelial cells before implantation into the arterial system. These cells were harvested from omentum by collagenase digestion and were introduced into the graft at the time of preclotting. Examination of the grafts by scanning and transmission electron microscopy one month after insertion showed no organized cellular lining in the control graft. In three seeded grafts there was a lining of mesothelial cells which extended over the whole surface of the grafts up to 1 cm from the suture lines. Selected areas of the grafts have been analysed morphometrically. In the seeded grafts there is a cellular layer which on average covers 94 per cent of the luminal surface. These results suggest that mesothelial cells, which both secrete prostacyclin and possess fibrinolytic activity, present a possible alternative to endothelium as a cellular lining for prosthetic grafts.