Axial Strain-Induced Stress Distributions at End-to-End and End-to-Side Graft-Artery Junctions: Clinical Implications

Abstract Suture-line intimal hyperplasia can lead to outflow stenosis of vascular bypass grafts. One prominent theory suggests that compliance mismatch between the graft and native vessel promotes suture-line hyperplasia, however, this theory has not yet been proven. Many studies have demonstrated that matching graft compliance to that of the artery leads to improved graft patency, but only a few have actually quantified the hyperplasia at compliant and non-compliant graft-artery junctions (Bassiouny et al., 1992; Trubel et al., 1994; Courtman, 1994).