Effects of Anticoagulants with Danshen on Patency of Dacron Microprostheses in Animal Experiments

Abstract

To study the effectiveness of anticoagulants, especially those with Danshen, on patency of vascular microprostheses, 20 Dacron microprostheses of 1.2 mm inner diameter and 15 mm in length were implanted into femoral arteries of rabbits by using microsurgical techniques for end-to-end anastomosis. Forty rabbits were randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group. The experimental group was given anticoagulative therapy. Percutaneous Doppler ultrasound, colour flow duplex, femoral arteriogram, gross inspection and light microscopic examination were used to evaluate the patency of the microprostheses. In the control group, six of the 20 grafts occluded at an early phase and two occluded at a later phase. In contrast, all 20 grafts in the experimental group remained patent four weeks after implantation. Histological examination showed that the grafts in the experimental group were completely re-endothelialized. The present anticoagulative regimen played an important role in preventing the formation of a mural thrombus, which benefited the formation of a neointima in the short term.