title: Current treatment methods for long occlusions of the femoropopliteal segment in patients with intermittent claudication: Minireview.
abstract: Backround. Intermittent claudication is a classic symptom of peripheral arterial disease. It is mainly treated conservatively but if this fails, a form of revascularization is indicated. The revascularization in chronic occlusion of femoropopliteal region is currently performed by two basic methods: the standard method of surgical bypass and the newer miniinvasive alternative represented by the endovascular method. The treatment of patients with solely claudication and long occlusion of femoropopliteal region remains controversial. The aim of this minireview was to determine whether surgical bypass is still the best method of choice in a time of endovascular techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  A MEDLINE search for original and review articles using key terms, intermittent claudication and long femoropopliteal oclusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  No ideal treatment for long occlusions of the femoropopliteal segment has been established to date. It is clear that the role of endovascular techniques in the treatment of SFA occlusions is increasing. It remains that, lower risk patients with claudication should be examined to assess the quality of veins suitable for revascularization and bypass should be selected as the first method of choice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II - Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fialova
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II - Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Utikal
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II - Vascular and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital Olomouc, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bachleda
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Olomouc.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kocher
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University Hospital Olomouc.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cerna
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery I, University Hospital Olomouc.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vomackova
mesh_terms: D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D019917:Blood Vessel Prosthesis Implantation / Q000379:methods; D057510:Endovascular Procedures / Q000379:methods; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000601:surgery*; D011150:Popliteal Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D015424:Reperfusion / Q000379:methods; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods
keywords: femoropopliteal bypass; intermittent claudication; occlusion of femoropopliteal region; percutaneous transluminal angioplasty; subintimal angioplasty