COLD-STORED FEMORAL VESSELS AS MICROVASCULAR ALLOGRAFTS - A PRELIMINARY-STUDY

Cold stored femoral arteries or veins have been reinserted successfull y as autografts into rabbits. The present study examines whether graft ing with cold stored vascular allografts is equally successful. Rabbit femoral arteries and veins were stored at 4 degrees C for 4 weeks bef ore insertion as allografts into unrelated animals. Three weeks after insertion into the femoral artery all venous allografts and 80% of art erial allografts were patent, but patency of both graft types declined over the next few weeks. A small number of cold stored venous allogra fts when inserted into the femoral vein occluded within 3 weeks.No his tological evidence of rejection was apparent. The findings suggest tha t cold stored vascular allografts could be used successfully as an art erial ''prosthesis'' to support free flaps where relatively short term patency is required until the flap can establish sufficient periphera l inset to survive in its own right. This technique could be applied w hen autologous veins are not available or not justified. (C) 1994 Wile y-Liss, Inc..