Veines de stripping comme abord vasculaire secondaire pour l'hémodialyse: étude pathologique de greffons après exérèse chirurgicale

: The suitability of stripping vein homografts as AV fistulae for intermittent hemodialysis has been evaluated. Microscopic investigation of stored veins indicated the superiority of cryopreservation over refrigeration. A systematic study of 12 venous homograft fistulae surgically excised from hemodialysis patients revealed that the homograft walls are the sites of both connective tissue proliferation and of mural degeneration. It was also noted that the implants failed in the short term (less than 1 yr) mainly due to stenosis, in the medium term (1 yr-3 yrs) mainly due to aneurysmal dilatation and for a variety of reasons beyond 3 years. It was concluded that when suitably selected, handled and stored, stripping vein homografts are a viable alternative to treated human umbilical or bovine heterografts as blood access fistulae if no autograft is available.