Microarterial prostheses of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene

Forty grafts of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with an inside diameter of 1.5 mm were placed in the femoral arteries of rabbits. The telescoped technique was used for the anastomoses. The animals were sacrificed at intervals beginning the day after implantation. Four of the grafts lost patency and one graft had a remarkable degree of intimal hypertrophy. The remaining grafts developed thin neointimal formations and remained patent up to 7 months after implantation. The overall patency rate was 90%. Neointimization was established 35 to 90 days following surgery. The formation of neointima began at the anastomotic sites and extended into the grafts. It is concluded that PTFE prostheses can be used for grafting arteries as small as 1.0-1.2 mm in diameter, which up to now had been considered impossible.