The in situ saphenous vein bypass graft: radiologic aspects

The use of the in situ saphenous vein for bypassing arterial occlusions in the lower extremities appears to have a higher patency rate than other bypass procedures but presents unique technical problems, such as lysing valves and occluding venous tributaries. Forty-four patients undergoing in situ bypasses had preoperative arteriograms. Special attention was paid to the small runoff vessels around the ankle, which are not suitable for reversed bypass procedures but may be adequate for in situ bypasses. Eight patients also had preoperative saphenous venograms, which revealed surgically important abnormalities in six cases. Postoperative arteriograms obtained within 2 weeks in 10 patients and within 2-12 months in 15 patients revealed persistent arteriovenous fistulas in four patients, stenoses in nine, occlusions in five, and progressive disease in the nonbypassed arteries in five patients. Early recognition of these problems led to 11 surgical repairs; nine repairs used the interventional radiologic procedures of balloon angioplasty, transcatheter embolization, and catheter thrombolysis. In this group of 44 patients, five patients died with patent bypasses and three patients required amputation despite functioning bypasses. Only four amputations were attributed to bypass failure. This low figure may be due to the close cooperation of the vascular surgeons and the vascular radiologists in dealing with these complicated cases.