Arterial grafts in microscope-assisted pedal bypass for limb salvage

Leg amputations are associated with marked morbidity and mortality in the atherosclerotic population. The survival in patients undergoing lower extremity amputations is 50% at 3 years and 30% at 5 years. Despite excellent reported results with pedal bypass, some patients are "nonbypassable" with traditional techniques because of very small, short target vessels in the pedal arch. The authors report six cases of microscope-assisted inframalleolar bypass using autogenous artery in 5 patients presenting with threatened limb loss, with 83% graft patency at 52 months average follow-up. They hypothesize that the success in these patients is the result of less surgical trauma and less compliance mismatch at the distal anastomosis, and perhaps the result of vasoactive substances secreted by the arterial grafts. Microscope-assisted pedal bypass with autogenous artery should be considered for "nonbypassable" patients with tissue necrosis or rest pain who do not appear to have sufficient inflow to heal a forefoot amputation.