Patent ID: 7364587

Claim:
A method for providing dilation resistance to an implantable tubular graft comprising: (a) providing a graft comprising opposed open ends and a textile wall extending in a lengthwise direction therebetween defining a graft diameter, wherein the textile wall comprises radially extending yarns having a radial extent which inter-engage longitudinally extending yarns having a longitudinal extent to define a textile pattern and further wherein the radially extending yarns are obliquely oriented to the lengthwise direction of the graft, thereby defining a first acute angle from the lengthwise direction of the graft; (b) providing an elongate tubular mandrel having a diameter which differs from the graft diameter by a factor of at least 1.5; (c) positioning the graft over the mandrel to radially distend the graft, thereby reorienting the radially extending yarns to reduce the radial extent and to shift the radially extending yarns to a second acute angle from the lengthwise direction of the graft to define an reoriented textile pattern, wherein the second acute angle is greater than the first acute angle; and (d) heat setting the graft at a first temperature to set the inter-engaging yarns in the reoriented textile pattern to provide a graft with improved dilation resistance.