Occurrence of occlusive intimal changes in an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft

A case report is presented demonstrating pathologic changes in the neointima that formed when a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft was placed in a 35 year old white male with severe arteriosclerosis. Representative sections of the patient's artery and graft were taken which demonstrated considerable smooth muscle proliferation in both along with full wall healing in the latter. Partial oclusion of the total length of the PTFE graft by a process similar to that occurring in the patient's own arteriosclerotic arteries was found. The consistency and extent of the involvement (> 10 cm in length) would appear to preclude entities such as neointimal fibrous hyperplasia and may point to another consequence of intimal injury and full wall graft healing which may be an undesirable effect of arteriosclerotic metabolism in the human. It is conceivable that full wall graft healing in an arteriosclerotic individual may have untoward events that need to be further investigated as new graft materials are developed.