Glutaraldehyde tanned ovine collagen compared with polytetrafluoroethylene (Gore-Tex) as a conduit for small calibre artery substitution; an experimental study in dogs.

Collagen tubes with a polyester mesh endoskeleton were grown in sheep around silastic mandrils and were then tanned in alkaline glutaraldehyde. Tanned ovine collagen conduits and polytetrafluoroethylene conduits (Gore-Tex), each 10 cm long and 6 mm wide, were deployed in parallel as aorto-iliac bypass grafts in 10 dogs. The grafts remained patent for periods up to and exceeding 23 months. No grafts showed aneurysmal dilatation. All grafts formed a neointima lined with cells. In the Gore-Tex grafts there was fibrous tissue ingrowth through the wall which resulted in progressive and irregular luminal narrowing. This was not seen in the tanned ovine collagen grafts.