Immediate shear stress resistance of endothelial cell monolayers seeded in vitro on fibrin glue-coated ePTFE prostheses

The shear stress resistance of endothelial cells (EC) previously seeded onto ePTFE grafts was assessed by morphometric determination of the number of cells per cm2 of graft surface before and after exposure of 6 h of arterial blood flow interposed in the canine femoral artery. Autologous venous endothelial cells (AVEC) were harvested from the extrajugular veins of five dogs. The AVEC were cultured in vitro and seeded at a density of 150 x 10(3) cells per cm2 onto 4 mm ID ePTFE grafts precoated with fibrin glue and human fibronectin. Subsequently, the AVEC monolayers on the grafts were cultured for 8 days using a perfusion system and then implanted end-to-end in the femoral artery. All grafts remained patent (5/5). Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated complete, thrombus-free monolayers of AVEC after 6 h of arterial blood flow. The cell densities were 124 +/- 14 and 129 +/- 7 x 10(3) cells per cm2 respectively before and after implantation. It is concluded that in vitro lining of 4 mm ePTFE vascular prostheses is feasible and results in EC monolayers on the graft surface which are shear stress resistant and athrombogenic