The superficial femoral artery as a conduit: an alternative to prosthetic material

The occluded superficial femoral artery is almost universally present in atherosclerosis obliterans and requires vascular reconstruction. As an alternative autogenous conduit, when a suitable saphenous vein is not available, the properly prepared superficial femoral artery can obviate the need for prosthetic material. The technique for preparing the artery for use as a graft is discussed. A case of the superficial femoral artery used as an autogenous conduit is presented.