Long term comparison of fresh arterial allografts and autografts for coronary artery bypass in dogs.

Femoral artery grafts were anastomosed end-to-end to the left internal mammary artery proximally and end-to-side to the circumflex coronary artery distally in 21 adult mongrel dogs. Fourteen dogs received allografts and seven received autografts. All autografts studied from one to 11 months were patent. Eleven of the fourteen homografts studied from one to thirteen months were occluded. Histologically, extensive interstitial edema and leukocytic infiltration with subintimal fibrosis and thrombotic occlusion were seen. This study shows that fresh arterial autografts have excellent long term patency, but that most arterial allografts have early thrombotic occlusion.