PURPOSE: To enable an artificial blood vessel to grow with the growth of a subject child, by weakly bridging a tube mainly made of collagen with a bridging agent and then by covering the tube in a mesh-tube of a desired diameter.
CONSTITUTION: A tube mainly made of collagen is cross-linked with a bridging agent and then is covered in a mesh-tube of a larger diameter. The tube mainly made of collagen is obtained by extruding a collagen solution into a coagulation bath. A hydrophilic bridging agent is used to give the artificial blood vessel, the collagen tube, high hydrophilic property and anti-thrombogenic property. The bridging rate, i.e., the reaction rate of -amino group of a collagen side chain, is generally 50% or less, but is preferable at 30% or less. Being weakly bridged, the collagen tube, i.e., the artificial blood vessel, expands after transplant little by little to the diameter of the mesh-tube. The thick and stable blood vessel is thus obtained with the growth of a subject child.
YAMANE YOSHIHISA
MIYATA TERUO
