Aortic Homograft Preservation With Dimethyl Sulfoxide

THIS REPORT defines a technique of arterial homograft preservation. It does not attempt to evaluate different arterial grafting materials nor does it evaluate the long-term problems of implanted arterial homografts.

The first homograft implant was carried out in the dog by Höpfner.¹ In 1910 Carrel² reported results of his investigations in the use of preserved homografts. His preservation techniques included the use of physiological saline solution, Locke's solution, serum, and defibrinated dog's blood at refrigerator temperatures and at temperatures of −3 C. Carrel also attempted desiccating the arteries over calcium chloride and later reconstituting them in Locke's solution. Levin³ attempted preservation of aortas in formaldehyde solution (formalin). The report of Gross⁴ and his associates in 1949 of homografts stored at 4 C in 10% homologous serum electrolyte solution revived interest in the arterial homograft. Hufnagel,⁵ Deterling,⁶ and Meeker and Gross⁷ studied techniques for