Pseudo-endothelial cell growth on auto-alloplastic vascular prostheses. Experimental studies on rats

Pseudo-endothelial cell growth on Sparks' auto-alloplastic vascular prostheses which had been grafted in the arterial circulatory system are examined by light- and electron microscopy at different intervals after application. The obtained data clarify that in future we should speak of prosthetic endothelium or lining cells when referring to those cells which line the inner surface of prostheses; the present study reveals that these cells lack some important criteria, e.g. complete basement membrane and intercellular bridges, by which real endothelial cells are distinguished. The rapid and complete growth of lining cells, expected to accompany use of Sparks' prostheses, could not be confirmed by the present experiments. Using a new microsurgical experimental model in the rat, we were able to show that even in a small animal species prosthetic arterial replacement is possible. Hereby, an important contribution has been made to microsurgical work in the field of experimental vascular surgery with a technique hitherto unknown in the literature.