The use of extended profundaplasty in limb salvage

Obstructive lesions of the profunda femoris artery extending beyond the lateral circumflex branch were repaired in sixty-two limbs with superficial femoral occlusion and profound ischemia. The operation relieved rest pain in all thirty-four limbs with this symptom. Of twenty-eight limbs with tissue loss, twenty-two were salvaged without further reconstructive surgery. This experience illustrates that in diffuse profunda disease, extended profundaplasty is a useful alternative to femoropopliteal by pass, particularly for the relief of rest pain, and does not preclude more distal arterial reconstruction.