[Small-caliber arterial prosthesis: effect of porosity]

Thirty-two pyrolytic carbon-coated weanenit Dacron grafts and 32 segments of human umbilical vein treated with glutaraldehyde were implanted into the carotid arteries of 32 dogs. Prosthesis segments were removed after intervals of from 10 to 120 days and sections examined by standard optical microscopy, and the internal surfaces by scanning electron microscopy. Overall percentage permeability was 93.7 p. cent for Dacron prostheses and 84.3 p.cent for human umbilical vein sections. Fundamental stages of pseudo intima organization were compared for the two types of prosthesis.