Late changes in a bovine graft

We treated a Japanese man with aneurysmal dilatation of the bovine graft transplanted for femorofemoral bypass. The reconstruction was performed successfully by the replacement with a Dacron graft 29 months after the first operation. Aneurysmal dilatation was observed over the entire length of the graft, and the wall of the graft was fragile. Disruption of collagen fibers and bleeding into the graft wall from the arteries which had been newly formed in abundance were extensive. The histological findings suggested that bovine grafts should be used for only a short period or for the replacement of small arteries.