THE USE OF CRYOPRESERVED VENOUS ALLOGRAFTS IN MICROVASCULAR SURGERY WITHOUT IMMUNOSUPPRESSION - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY

Excellent patency rates are currently established in the use of autoge nous veins as interposition vein grafts in microsurgical practice. All ografts may be a viable alternative source of vein grafts. Recent adva nces in cryobiology have enabled the controlled freezing of tissues wi th preservation of vital cellular elements. Although several reports h ave shown the successful use of cryopreserved large-vessel allografts, few have addressed cryopreservation of microvessels (I to 2 mm in dia meter). In this study, the authors have successfully cryopreserved fem oral veins in a rat model and transplanted them as interposition vein grafts into arterial defects across major histocompatibility barriers (ACI to Lewis). Short-term patencies (21 days) were determined, and hi stologic and scanning electron microscopic analysis were performed. Pa tency of 100 percent was achieved in both fresh control veins and in c ryopreserved veins at 21 days.