Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Ann Biomed Eng. 2011 Jan;39(1):223-34. doi: 10.1007/s10439-010-0157-5. Epub 2010 Sep 11.
Poor welding strength constitutes an obstacle in the clinical employment of laser-assisted vascular repair (LAVR) and anastomosis. We therefore investigated the feasibility of using electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold as reinforcement material in LAVR of medium-sized vessels. In vitro solder-doped scaffold LAVR (ssLAVR) was performed on porcine carotid arteries or abdominal aortas using a 670-nm diode laser, a solder composed of 50% bovine serum albumin and 0.5% methylene blue, and electrospun PCL scaffolds. The correlation between leaking point pressures (LPPs) and arterial diameter, the extent of thermal damage, structural and mechanical alterations of the scaffold following ssLAVR, and the weak point were investigated. A strong negative correlation existed between LPP and vessel diameter, albeit LPP (484±111 mmHg) remained well above pathophysiological pressures. Histological analysis revealed that thermal damage extended into the medial layer with a well-preserved internal elastic lamina and endothelial cells. Laser irradiation of PCL fibers and coagulation of solder material resulted in a strong and stiff scaffold. The weak point of the ssLAVR modality was predominantly characterized by cohesive failure. In conclusion, ssLAVR produced supraphysiological LPPs and limited tissue damage. Despite heat-induced structural/mechanical alterations of the scaffold, PCL is a suitable polymer for weld reinforcement in medium-sized vessel ssLAVR.
较差的焊接强度是激光辅助血管修复（LAVR）和吻合术在临床应用中的障碍。因此，我们研究了将静电纺丝聚己内酯（PCL）支架用作中等大小血管的 LAVR 增强材料的可行性。在体外，使用 670nm 二极管激光、由 50%牛血清白蛋白和 0.5%亚甲蓝组成的焊料以及静电纺丝 PCL 支架对猪颈动脉或腹主动脉进行了含焊点支架 LAVR（ssLAVR）。研究了漏点压力（LPP）与动脉直径、热损伤程度、ssLAVR 后支架的结构和机械变化以及薄弱点之间的相关性。尽管 LPP（484±111mmHg）仍远高于病理生理压力，但 LPP 与血管直径之间存在很强的负相关性。组织学分析显示，热损伤延伸到中层，内部弹性膜和内皮细胞保持完好。PCL 纤维的激光照射和焊料材料的凝固导致支架具有很强的刚性。ssLAVR 方式的薄弱点主要表现为内聚性失效。总之，ssLAVR 产生了超生理的 LPP 和有限的组织损伤。尽管支架的热诱导结构/机械变化，但 PCL 是中等大小血管 ssLAVR 中焊接增强的合适聚合物。
