[Aneurysm formation on dacron prosthesis after 84 months of use. Pathology, structural and chemical evaluation of the explanted device (author's transl)].

A 56 year old patient fitted with a femoro-popliteal Dacron prosthesis (Weavenit-Meadox Medical) 84 months earlier, presented with a severe palpable dilation in the middle part of the graft. The dilated segment of the prosthesis was resected locally and spliced to a new fabric device. The explanted section of prosthesis was analyzed; the dilation was found to extend only over several centimeters near the centre of the prosthesis. The degree of "healing" was found to be satisfactory except in the part which was most distended; this area also revealed mild bacterial colonization. Physico-chemical analysis of the fabric revealed that the dilation had taken place subsequently to hydrolytic degradation of the polyester fibres. Manufacturing conditions may have contributed to predisposing parts of the prosthesis to accelerated biodeterioration in vivo.