Improving micrograft patency

To help clarify many of the controversial issues affecting early microvascular graft patency, a series of experiments was performed comparing the relative importance of graft material used alone and in conjunction with antiplatelet agents. Using a rat carotid model employing 1 cm micrografts with 1 mm luminal diameter, this study demonstrated that 1) untreated 1 mm polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and human umbilical vein (HUV) micrografts have unacceptably low patency rates; 2) treatment with the antiplatelet agents indomethacin, ibuprofen, and aspirin significantly improved micrograft patency; 3) differences in patency among the three agents were not significant; and 4) PTFE had higher patency rates than HUV, although this difference did not achieve significance.