Morphological changes in femoropopliteal venous grafts

Morphological examination of specimens obtained from 82 venous grafts implanted into the femoropopliteal section were done. Intimal oedema, necrosis of single smooth muscle cells and partial exfoliation of the endothelium with as occurrence of parietal thrombi may lead to early graft impatency. The late cause of stenosed inner diameter below 4 mm in the venous graft was in 14,6% the hyperplasia of the smooth muscle cells and collagen and elastin fibres in the intima, whereas in 4,9% the changes were defined as graft atherosclerosis.