The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Vol 75, 894-901, Copyright © 1978 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and The Western Thoracic Surgical Association
Pattern of arrangement of smooth muscle cells in neointimae of synthetic vascular prostheses
Y Noishiki
Neointimae of fabric vascular prostheses of three types (crimped and
knitted [A], stretchable [B], and expansile [C]) were examined under both
light and electron microscopes from 1 to 1,240 days after implantation in
the thoracic aorta of 161 dogs. With all types of prostheses, a very
uniform arrangement of smooth muscle cells was observed beneath the
endothelial cells. In the crimped and knitted prostheses (A), the smooth
muscle cells in the neointima showed a regular arrangement perpendicular to
the direction of the bloodstream at each inner ridge of the crimp. In the
stretchable prostheses (B), which can stretch only longitudinally, the long
axes of the smooth muscle cells oriented in rows parallel to the
bloodstream. In the expensive prostheses (C), which can expand only
circumferentially, the smooth muscle cells were perpendicular to the
bloodstream. These observations suggest that the arrangement of the smooth
muscle cells in neointima is largely governed by the tension to which they
are subjected.