Supraceliac aorta-to-lower extremity arterial bypass

From 1979 to 1986, ten patients had a revascularization procedure using the supraceliac portion of the aorta. Six patients had aortofemoral or aortoiliac bypasses and four others had additional procedures for revascularization of the lower extremities or of the visceral arteries. The latter included four renal, three superior mesenteric and three hepatic artery revascularizations. There were no postoperative deaths. One patient with chronic renal failure underwent temporary hemodialysis after the operation. The postoperative course was uneventful in the nine remaining patients. Postoperative arteriograms showed all visceral artery revascularizations to be patent. All patients were symptom-free at follow-up (mean 3.8 years, range 1 month to 7 years). One patient had a successful percutaneous balloon angioplasty for a late anastomotic stenosis in a renal artery. The operative technique is described and the specific indications for the technique are discussed in patients with renal and suprarenal aortic disease.