title: Infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysm in drug addicts: the beneficial use of the internal iliac artery for arterial reconstruction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysm (IFAP) is a severe complication in parenteral drug abusers, with difficult and controversial management. Ligation alone without revascularization is frequently associated with later intermittent claudication and limb amputation. Furthermore, arterial reconstruction with a synthetic or venous conduit is limited because of a contaminated field and, often, unavailability of autologous venous grafts. In this study, we present our experience with the internal iliac artery (IIA) as a graft for arterial reconstruction after IFAP excision in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of 14 consecutive patients who presented with IFAP secondary to parenteral drug abuse from 2001 to 2005 were analyzed. Twelve patients (85.7%) were male. The median age was 27 years (range, 19-42 years). In 13 cases, the IFAP involved the common femoral artery, and in 1 case it involved the profunda femoris artery (PFA). In nine patients, we used the IIA for arterial reconstruction (five as a patch and four as an interposition graft), whereas in two patients the arterial deficit was repaired with a great saphenous vein patch. In two cases, an extra-anatomic bypass with a synthetic polytetrafluoroethylene graft was performed. In one patient, the pseudoaneurysm involved the PFA and was treated with excision and ligation of the PFA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All nine patients who underwent revascularization with the use of IIA were free of claudication symptoms. None of them experienced any perioperative complications, had signs of reinfection, or required limb amputation during the follow-up period (median, 19 months; range, 4-52 months). Regarding the remaining five patients, one died 25 days after surgery because of multiorgan failure, and one underwent reoperation because of proximal anastomotic rupture of a synthetic graft. The latter patient finally underwent a transmetatarsal amputation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of IIA for arterial reconstruction after IFAP excision in drug abusers is safe and effective. These preliminary results indicate that the implementation of this technique offers many advantages compared with traditional treatment options.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Vascular Division, Athens University Medical School, Athens, Greece. chris_klonaris@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Klonaris
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Katsargyris
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papapetrou
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vourliotakis
authors.forename: Sotiris
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsiodras
authors.forename: Sotiris
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Georgopoulos
authors.forename: Athanasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannopoulos
authors.forename: Elias
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bastounis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017541:Aneurysm, False / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D000785:Aneurysm, Infected / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation; D015819:Substance Abuse, Intravenous / Q000150:complications*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome