Artificial medical graft with a releasable retainer

摘要

A tubular artificial graft for attachment to a patient's tubular body tissue has an initially radially relatively small connector structure adjacent each of its ends. The initial relatively small size of each connector structure facilitates insertion of that portion of the graft into the body tissue to which that connector structure is to make a connection. After a connector structure is properly positioned relative to the body tissue, the connector structure is radially enlarged to connect the graft to the body tissue. The connection is preferably both a mechanical and a fluid-tight connection.