Reduction in deposition of indium 111-labeled platelets after autologous endothelial cell seeding of Dacron aortic bifurcation grafts in humans: a preliminary report.

Autologous endothelial seeding (AES) of vascular prostheses in dogs increases thrombus-free surface and improves prosthetic prostacyclin production, patency, and the ability to withstand hematogenous challenge with bacteria. No such information is available in human subjects. In the present study one limb of an aortic Dacron bifurcation prosthesis was seeded with autologous endothelial cells (ECs) harvested from the distal portion of the saphenous vein by enzymatic treatment. The deposition of indium 111-labeled platelets on the vascular prostheses was studied 1 and 4 months after operation. In seven of nine patients seeding resulted in decreased accumulation of radiolabeled platelets compared with sham-seeded control limbs (p less than 0.04), when studied 1 month after surgery. A decrease in platelet accumulation occurred over the whole prosthesis between 1 and 4 months, and no significant difference was noted at 4 months between seeded and nonseeded graft limbs. Although the seeding density was very low (440 ECs/cm2), the observed difference in platelet accumulation for AES-treated graft limbs in the early postoperative course merits further investigation of this technique in human beings.