Abstract
Duplex ultrasound measurements of patients (N=65) undergoing lower extremity bypass with autologous veins were taken at surgery and multiple times after surgery. Changes in lumen diameter were correlated with changes in external graft diameter (p<0.001) but not with wall area. Changes in lumen diameter were also negatively correlated with initial lumen diameter (p<0.05). Grafts showed a marked increase in wall elastic modulus between 1 and 3 months postoperatively. In this same time, graft wall tension decreased to a level not significantly different to that in the normal superficial femoral artery (SFA). These results suggest complex remodeling of vein grafts with wall growth that alleviates wall tension, independent from changes in lumenal diameter.
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