The fate of autologous fascia lata grafts in dogs.

The fate of tricuspid fascia lata valves and intracardiac grafts was studied morphologically, histologically, and biochemically in dogs. Severe degenerative changes occurring by 21 days were largely correlated with graft thickening due to gross endothelialization. A primary event in graft alteration was an initial loss of the indigenous fibroblast population as detected both microscopically and by autoradiography after pulse labeling with 14C-Nethylmaleimide. Using different isotopic labeling procedures, both the in vivo and in vitro graft degradation patterns demonstrated that a second early eft degradation was correlated in vivo with endothelialization and collagenase secretion by invasive cells.