[The biosynthetic Omniflow prosthesis: preliminary experience]

The Omniflow biosynthetic prosthesis is made by a polyester net set on a silicon mandrel and planted on the sheep's back in order to from a tube of collagen that is fixed by glutaraldehyde at the moment of removing. This idea comes from the experience made in using glutaraldehyde as biologic fixative employed for the first time in the fixation of the cardiac valves by Carpentier in 1976 and in using nets of synthetic material set on a mandrel in man by Sparks in 1986, to form a tube of collagen to be used as a vascular prosthesis. Such a prosthesis has the advantage of the natural collagen deprived of its immunogenicity and also the increased resistance due to the polyester net. The authors report their experience in three arteriopathic patients employing Omniflow prosthesis used for the manufacturing of femoropopliteal bypass, a femoro-femoral bypass and for the substitution of an infected branch of axillobifemoral bypass. They describe the handling and the technique for the right application to avoid immediate complications, among which the most dangerous is the acute obstruction. Then they discuss the results which are encouraging even if the fellow up is too short. For such a reason they report the casuistic with long distance results obtained by the use of the same prosthesis by Raithel et Al., one of the largest experience in literature.