| 摘要 |
There is provided a woven fabric for use in endovascular grafting, said fabric being biostable, composed of substantially non-elastomeric yarn, and expansible in at least one yarn direction, preferably the weft direction. Expansibility of the fabric is achieved by introducing non-linearity into a yarn (such as polyester or polytetrafluoroethylene) used in weaving the fabric. The non-linear yarn is maintained in that form by an agent which may itself be a yarn. Following fabric formation resilience is advantageously imparted to the non-linear yarn prior to release of the agent. In a preferred embodiment the yarn is polyester and is crimped or twisted around the agent which is a PVA yarn. After weaving, the fabric is washed in hot water to heat-set the water insoluble yarn in its non-linear form and to selectively dissolve the agent. An endovascular graft comprising the fabric of the invention is also described. |
