INFLUENCE OF LUMINAL PORE-SIZE ON THE PATENCY RATE AND ENDOTHELIALIZATION OF POLYMERIC MICROVENOUS PROSTHESES

In microvenous prosthetic surgery a continuous search for better paten cy rates is necessary to enable a clinical application, In this search for better patencies, modifications in the wall structure are being m ade. Directions found in the literature suggest that pore size plays a n important role in achieving better patencies. Thus far, no study has been conducted to evaluate the influence of pore size on the patency rate of polyurethane microvenous prostheses. Since polyurethane is kno wn to yield good patency rates, we conducted this study in which we co mpared different luminal pore sizes with regard to patency. Pore size varied from 0.6 to 20 mu m in microvenous polyurethane-based prosthese s (length 5-6 mm, internal diameter 1 mm). The results showed a favora ble patency rate in the pore sizes larger than 5.0 mu m (patency 75%) when compared to pore sizes smaller than 2.0 mu m (patency 50%). This study demonstrates that microvenous polyurethane-based prostheses with a luminal pore size larger than 5.0 mu m may yield better patency rat es than prostheses with a luminal pore size smaller than 5.0 mu m. Fur ther studies are currently being performed to elucidate the very reaso ns for this effect. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.