Abstract Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) grafts are among the most commonly used vascular grafts in arterial reconstructive procedures. However, late failure of these grafts from neointimal hyperplasia is a major problem. Although the underlying etiology of neointimal hyperplasia has not been fully elucidated, a large number of theories have been proposed to explain this process on the basis of various hemodynamic factors. Among these factors, wall shear stress is hypothesized to play an important role in the regulation of production of neointimal hyperplasia.
Ku et al. (1995) studied this question.