Kinetics of collagen deposition within bioresorbable and nonresorbable vascular prostheses

This study compares the kinetics of collagen deposition within the prosthesis/tissue complexes formed following implantation of either polyglactin 910 (PG910), polydioxanone (PDS), or Dacron prostheses into rabbit infrarenal aortas. The grafts were explanted in triplicate at 1, 3, and 12 months, and then processed for spectrophotometric hydroxyproline quantitation. A 2 mm longitudinal strip from each sample was processed for histologic evaluation by light and electron microscopy. Results showed more extensive collagen deposition within the prosthesis/tissue complexes of both PG910 and PDS continuing throughout 3 months, as compared to less collagen deposition in Dacron grafts at all time points. Differences between PG910 and Dacron, and between PDS and Dacron at each time point were statistically significant. When correlated with previous related studies done in our laboratory, data showed that in resorbable grafts the rate of collagen deposition parallels the kinetics of cellular proliferation, tissue thickening, and graft resorption.