title: Surveillance versus nonsurveillance for femoro-popliteal bypass grafts.
abstract: This is a study of 97 patients who underwent 106 femoropopliteal bypass grafts (9 bilateral bypasses) for short-distance claudication and critical ischemia. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The first group (n=64) was followed up by use of duplex scans. The second group (n=42) was followed up in clinic without duplex surveillance. Twenty-three patients from the surveillance group developed stenoses of the grafts. Of these, 14 underwent successful angioplasty. A total of 43 grafts became blocked. Graft occlusion was significantly more common in the nonsurveillance group (n=29) as compared to the surveillance group (n=14) after both 1 and 3 years of observation (p=0.001). Patients with critical ischemia showed a higher rate of graft occlusion than the claudicants (p=0.0075). Sixteen patients in the nonsurveillance group underwent above/below-knee amputation compared to 1 in the surveillance group. There was no significant difference in the mortality rate in the 2 groups. Graft surveillance helped to improve patency of grafts by identifying the correctable lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Vascular Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, UK.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fasih
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rudol
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ashour
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mudawi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000671:Amputation, Surgical; D000800:Angioplasty, Balloon; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D007511:Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D012086:Reoperation; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler; D014654:Vascular Patency; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures
chemical_list: D011093:Polyethylene Terephthalates; D011138:Polytetrafluoroethylene