PRESENCE OF CALCIUM IN THE VESSEL WALLS AFTER END-TO-END ARTERIAL ANASTOMOSES WITH POLYDIOXANONE AND POLYPROPYLENE SUTURES IN GROWING DOGS

The presence of calcium in the vessel walls after end-to-end arterial anastomoses performed with polydioxanone and polypropylene interrupted sutures was studied in 140 anastomoses in 35 10-week-old German sheph erd dogs. Histologic examination with hematoxylin and eosin, van Gieso n, and von Kossa staining techniques was performed after the animals w ere killed 6 months after the operation. Ketamine hydrochloride was us ed as an anesthetic agent. At the start of the investigation the dogs weighed 14.5 +/- 2.6 kg (mean +/- standard deviation, n = 35), and aft er 6 months they weighed 45.3 +/- 3.1 kg (mean +/- standard deviation, n = 35). The diameter of the sutured arteries in the first operation was 2.6 +/- 0.5 mm (mean +/- standard deviation, n = 140). With each d og, both brachial and both femoral arteries were used-one artery for e ach different type of suture. In different dogs, different arteries we re used for the same type of suture. The prevalence of calcifications after 6 months was determined from the numeric density of calcificatio ns with standard stereologic techniques. The sutured and sutureless pa rts taken from longitudinal sections from each artery were studied, an d t test values were calculated as follows: In paired samples, statist ically significant differences in numerical density of calcifications were seen between sutured and sutureless arterial parts for both mater ials (sutureless part versus part with polydioxanone sutures, p < 0.00 1, n = 70; sutureless part versus part sutured with polypropylene sutu res, p < 0.01, n = 70); however, in independent samples no statistical ly significant differences in numerical density of calcifications were seen between the polydioxanone and polypropylene groups for sutured ( p > 0.05, n = 70) and sutureless parts (p > 0.05, n = 70).