Improved healing of small-caliber, long-fibril expanded polytetrafluoroethylene vascular grafts by covalent bonding of fibronectin.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the intermediate performance of small-caliber, long-fibril expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) vascular grafts pretreated with covalent bonding of fibronectin in dogs.

METHODS

Small-caliber (4 mm), long-fibril (60 microm), ePTFE vascular grafts, 10 cm in length, were pretreated by covalent bonding of fibronectin. Bilateral iliac grafting was done in dogs using a fibronectin-bonded graft on one side and a nonbonded control graft on the other side. The grafts were retrieved 12 weeks after implantation, and subjected to histomorphometric analysis.

RESULTS

Although the patency rates of the fibronectin-bonded and control grafts were the same (3/7, 43%), the fibronectin-bonded grafts showed almost complete neointimal healing, whereas the nonbonded control grafts showed only partial neointimal healing, proximally and distally.

CONCLUSIONS

Small-caliber, long-fibril ePTFE vascular grafts with covalent bonding of fibronectin achieved almost complete neointimal healing by the time of retrieval at 12 weeks. This indicates that, with further modifications, our new technique for covalent bonding of fibronectin has great potential in the development of small-caliber arterial prosthetic grafts.