Long-term Results of Inframalleolar Bypass for Critical Limb Ischaemia

As the population ages and the incidence of diabetes increases, the expected number of patients with critical limb ischaemia (CLI) requiring distal revascularization will remain high or even increase. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term results of inframalleolar bypass.

A total of 352 inframalleolar bypasses for CLI performed between 2002 and 2013 were included. Risk factors were evaluated and patency (both clinical and imaging based), leg salvage, survival, and amputation free survival (AFS) assessed.

The median follow up was 30 months (mean 42 months, range 1-186 months). The median age of the study population was 73 years, and 67% of the patients were male. The incidence of diabetes was 69%. In the majority of cases (82%), the indication for bypass was an ulcer or gangrene, and the remaining 18% of the patients had rest pain. Primary, assisted primary, and secondary clinical patency was 71.2%, 76.5%, 81.0%, and 59.7%, 69.3%, and 70.7%, and 49.0%, 58.6%, and 68.4% at 1, 5, and 10 years, respectively. The last imaging based secondary patency at 1, 5, and 10 years was 79.3%, 68.1%, and 62.8%, respectively. The popliteal artery as the inflow artery (n = 194) was associated with superior primary (p = .013), assisted primary (p = .028), and secondary patency (p = .014) when compared with bypasses originating from the femoral artery (n = 158). The leg salvage rate at 1, 5, and 10 years was 78.6%, 72.0%, and 67.2%, respectively. Leg salvage was equal in patients with and without diabetes (p = .460). The respective survival and AFS rates at 1, 5, and 10 years were 70.3%, 37.4%, and 15.9%, and 58.4%, 29.8%, and 12.8%.

Bypass to the foot arteries yielded excellent long-term patency, and good limb salvage can be achieved in both non-diabetic and diabetic patients.