Comparative investigations of the reoccluded distal anastomosis, the spontaneous atherosclerotic plaque and the normal intima of the human femoral artery.

The reocclusion of the distal anastomosis in grafts of the femoral artery frequently occurs, but there is no exact information about its character. A comparative study of such reocclusions, including the nature of the spontaneous atherosclerotic plaque and of the normal intima of the human femoral artery has been performed by light-microscopic, immunomorphological and biochemical methods. Local thickening in the region of the distal anastomosis was found to resemble the atherosclerotic plaque in structure, location of several components of the extracellular matrix and in the cellular composition. These facts allow the conclusion, that progressive atherosclerosis is the cause of the reocclusion of the distal anastomosis.