Reconstruction of the popliteal artery after war injury

During the war against Croatia in 1991-1992, 85 wounded with war injuries of major vessels in the extremities were admitted to the Department of Surgery, Osijek Clinical Hospital. These 85 included 13 (15.3%) wounded with injuries of the popliteal artery. In 12 cases an allograft was used as a substitute conduit. One early thrombosis and two infections occurred. Two amputations had to be performed because of massive soft tissue destruction and infection in the leg tissue. Our experience shows that an allograft is an acceptable choice for popliteal artery reconstruction in a highly contaminated war wound.