Surgical technique and long-term results after popliteal artery aneurysm repair: results from 717 legs.
BACKGROUND
This study investigated the importance of surgical technique on long-term outcome after treatment of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs).


METHODS
Records from 571 patients (717 legs) primarily operated on for PAAs were identified in the Swedish Vascular Registry. Surgical approach, type of graft, and anastomotic and ligation techniques were studied. After mean 7.2 years (range, 2 to 18 years) information on amputation was obtained for all patients, and 190 patients were re-examined with ultrasound imaging.


RESULTS
The approaches used were medial (medial approach group, MAG) in 87%, posterior (PAG) in 8.4%, endovascular in 3.6%, and other in 1.4%. Primary patency at 1 year with venous and prosthetic grafts was 85% vs 81% in the PAG (P = .719) and 90% vs 72% in the MAG (P < .001). Sixty-three legs (8.8%) were amputated <or=1 year, and 80 (11%) had been amputated at re-examination or by the end of follow-up. The median time from operation to amputation of 17 legs amputated after 1 year was 3.1 years (range, 1.1 to 9.8 years). The frequency of late amputation was 3.7% (2/54) in the PAG and 2.6% (15/571) in the MAG. In a Cox regression model, age (odds ratio [OR] 1.06/year, P < .001), emergency procedure (OR 2.67, P < .001), and prosthetic graft (OR 2.02, P = .008) were independently associated with long-term amputation rate. The risk of expansion of the excluded PAA at re-examination was 33% in the MAG and 8.3% in the PAG (P = .014). It was not affected by the ligation technique used.


CONCLUSIONS
The risk of late amputation was higher with prosthetic grafts. Operation with a posterior approach decreased the risk of expansion.
Ravn
Hans
H
Institution of Surgical Sciences, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden. hans.ravn@ebox.thinet.se
Wanhainen
Anders
A
Björck
Martin
M
D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical; D000783:Aneurysm / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012042:Registries; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency; D014680:Veins / Q000637:transplantation*