Bypass vein grafts in patients with distal popliteal artery occlusion

Critical Limb Ischemia Secondary to Antiphospholipid Syndrome in a Pediatric Patient: Case Report and Review

BACKGROUND

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a condition that manifests as venous or arterial thrombosis, as well as complications of pregnancy. APS affecting primarily the arteries is less common when compared to venous complications. We present a case of arterial occlusion resulting in critical limb ischemia (CLI) in a pediatric patient.

METHODS

A 14-year old boy presented with worsening right lower extremity pain and ulcerative lesions of his foot. Laboratory analysis revealed a diagnosis of APS. This case report and review of the literature expands our understanding of arterial manifestations of APS in the pediatric patient.

RESULTS

The patient was discovered to have proximal occlusion of the superficial femoral artery (SFA), the distal popliteal artery, the anterior tibial artery at the mid-calf, and the posterior tibial artery at the ankle. He underwent a common femoral artery to above-knee-popliteal artery bypass with reversed greater saphenous graft. Follow up after over one-year demonstrated an ABI of 1.0 and no evidence of stenosis in the bypass graft on duplex ultrasound (DUS).

CONCLUSIONS

APS is a complex syndrome with a variety of clinical presentations. This case highlights arterial manifestations of APS and reviews the expanding literature to guide improved patient outcomes.

Brachial Artery Reconstruction in Trauma Using Reversed Arm Vein from the Injured Upper Limb

BACKGROUND

Brachial artery repair may be technically challenging with a paucity of guidelines. The use arm vein (AV) from the traumatized limb is herein described.

METHODS

Data were prospectively collected from 2002 to 2016 on brachial artery injury including age, sex, mechanism/site of injury, and repair technique. Categories included AV and non-arm vein (NAV) groups. One-year outcomes were noted.

RESULTS

All 31 cases studied were of men with an age range of 16 to 73 years (mean = 28). Injuries included 13 gunshots, 7 stabbings, 6 glass injuries, 2 dislocated elbows, 1 crush, 1 impalement, and 1 avulsion. Site of injuries included the antecubital region in 25, midbrachial in 5, and proximal brachial in 1, with 4 associated fractures. Repair was done using reversed AV from the traumatized limb in 15 cases and NAV in 16. In the AV group, the adjacent basilic vein was used in 9 cases, the adjacent cephalic vein in 3, and the distal (or wrist area) cephalic vein in 3. The limb salvage rates in the AV versus NAV groups were 100% and 94%, respectively (Fisher's exact t test, P = 1.00), with no major technique-related complications.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of using reversed AV from the traumatized limb are equivalent to those of other standard techniques such as primary repair, polytetrafluoroethylene, or reversed great saphenous vein, with a 1-year limb salvage rate of 100%. Additionally, advantages include decreased wound complications, better vein graft--artery caliber match, and shorter operating times while maintaining acceptable patency rates.

Vein graft failure

After the creation of an autogenous lower extremity bypass graft, the vein must undergo a series of dynamic structural changes to stabilize the arterial hemodynamic forces. These changes, which are commonly referred to as remodeling, include an inflammatory response, the development of a neointima, matrix turnover, and cellular proliferation and apoptosis. The sum total of these processes results in dramatic alterations in the physical and biomechanical attributes of the arterialized vein. The most clinically obvious and easily measured of these is lumen remodeling of the graft. However, although somewhat less precise, wall thickness, matrix composition, and endothelial changes can be measured in vivo within the healing vein graft. Recent translational work has demonstrated the clinical relevance of remodeling as it relates to vein graft patency and the systemic factors influencing it. By correlating histologic and molecular changes in the vein, insights into potential therapeutic strategies to prevent bypass failure and areas for future investigation are explored.

Bypass to the perigeniculate collateral vessels. A useful technique for limb salvage: preliminary report on 22 patients

PURPOSE

We describe our initial experience with the use of perigeniculate vessels as outflow tracts in infrainguinal revascularizations for critical limb ischemia.

METHODS

Twenty-two such reconstructions were carried out in 20 patients over a 2-year period. Indications for surgery consisted of tissue loss in 9 patients and rest pain in the other 13 patients. Inflow was obtained from the femoral vessels. A variety of graft materials were used, including saphenous vein (16 patients), polytetrafluoroethylene (2 patients), composite (1 patient), and arterial homografts (3 patients). The perigeniculate vessels used were the medial sural artery to the gastrocnemius (arteria suralis) in 16 patients and the highest genicular artery (arteria genu suprema) in the other 6 patients. These vessels were approached via a medial above-the-knee popliteal-type exposure.

RESULTS

There were three postoperative deaths. Mean follow-up for the other 17 patients averaged 12 months (range, 3 to 37 months). Three grafts failed (thrombosis) during follow-up, leading to two above-the-knee amputations. One graft stenosis was treated with percutaneous angioplasty. The average postoperative increase in the ankle-brachial index was 0.20.

CONCLUSION

These early results appear promising with a 1-year primary patency rate of 77%, assisted primary patency rate of 85%, and a limb-salvage rate of 90% according to the Kaplan-Meier life-table method. This technique is particularly useful when adequate length saphenous vein is not available, no other outflow vessels are available, or other outflow vessels are very calcified and not safely clamped. The continued study of the long-term effectiveness is warranted.

PTFE bypass grafting to isolated popliteal segments in critical limb ischaemia

Although the quality of the distal run-off has been considered as an important factor affecting the success of bypass grafting, reasonable results have nevertheless been reported for bypass grafts to a popliteal artery with no direct communication with the tibial or peroneal vessels (isolated popliteal segment, IPS). The use of autogenous vein has produced the best results in this situation with most authors finding polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) less satisfactory. Improved results have nevertheless been shown for femoropopliteal and femorotibial PTFE grafts by the incorporation of vein patches into the anastomoses. In this paper, the influence of this technique on the patency of PTFE grafts to IPS is evaluated. Thirty-three PTFE grafts to an IPS and 67 to the below knee (BK) popliteal artery with one or more run-off vessels were studied. All IPS grafts were carried out for limb salvage and in the BK popliteal group, 46 (69%) were for limb salvage and 21 (31%) were for severe claudication. Groups were matched in terms of age, smoking history and prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Cumulative patency rates of 84% at 1 year and 76% at 3 years were achieved in the IPS group compared to 90 and 81% for the BK popliteal group with one or more run-off vessels. Using the Taylor patch technique, comparable 3 year patency rates can be expected for PTFE grafts to IPSs and to BK popliteal arteries with patient tibial or peroneal run-off.

Femoro-popliteal versus femoro-distal bypass grafting for limb salvage in patients with an "isolated" popliteal segment

In a prospective, multicentre trial, 59 patients with an ischaemic limb and an "isolated" popliteal segment on angiography were randomised to undergo infrainguinal bypass grafting to either the popliteal segment or to a reconstituted distal vessel lower in the calf. Limb salvage was attained with 88% of the femoro-popliteal grafts and 80% of the femoro-distal grafts. There was no difference in the one year graft patency rate between the femoro-popliteal group (79%) and the femoro-distal group (70%). Mean postoperative increase in ankle/brachial pressure index was similar in the two groups despite the presence of occluded or significantly diseased vessels distal to the popliteal anastomoses. Technical difficulties were encountered in 8% of the popliteal group and 24% of the distal group. Femoro-distal bypass grafting confers no apparent benefit over femoral bypass grafting into a patent popliteal segment, even though the popliteal run-off is impaired or occluded.

In situ femoropopliteal and distal vein bypass for limb salvage--experience of 50 cases

The aim of this paper is to assess the in situ technique of saphenous vein femoropopliteal (and femorotibial) bypass for limb salvage, and to compare it with the reversed vein method of bypass. In our 3-year study, we have operated on 50 cases resulting in a graft patency and limb salvage rate of 78 per cent at 18 months and 72 per cent overall. There was a 2 per cent perioperative and 10 per cent overall mortality. Graft thrombosis was associated with a variety of factors, mostly notably a small vein (les than 4 mm), a low calf vessel anastomosis, wound sepsis and progressive proximal (inflow) disease. However, the strongest correlation was that between graft thrombosis and the extent of distal disease, as 11 of 12 cases with thrombosed grafts had grade 2 or 3 run-off. In our experience the in situ technique offers haemodynamic and technical advantages over the reversed vein method of performing straightforward femoropopliteal bypass. Moreover, the in situ technique has wider application in that it allows a smaller vein (greater than 2.5 mm) to be used and also makes anastomosis to a small calf vessel easier. In this series, 16 per cent of cases would have been considered unsuitable for the reversed vein method if 4 mm was accepted as the lower limit of size for a reversed vein graft.

Progress in limb salvage by reconstructive arterial surgery combined with new or improved adjunctive procedures

In the past nine years, 1196 patients whose lower extremity was threatened because of infrainguinal arteriosclerosis have been treated at Montefiore Hospital. In the last six years, limb salvage was attempted in 679 or 90% of 755 patients. Femoropopliteal (318), small vessel (204) and axillopopliteal (29) bypasses were used along with transluminal angioplasty (128) and aggressive local operations to obtain a healed foot. Immediate (one month) limb salvage was achieved in 583 or 86% of the 679 patients in whom revascularization was possible. The 30-day mortality rate was 3%. The cumulative life table (LT) survival rate of all the patients undergoing reconstructive arterial operations was 48% at five years. The cumulative LT limb salvage rate after all reconstructive arterial operations was 66% at five years. The cumulative LT patency rate of femoropopliteal bypasses was not influenced by angiographic outflow characteristics of the popliteal artery but was increased 15% by appropriate reoperations to 67% at five years. Cumulative LT patency and limb salvage rates of small vessel and axillopopliteal bypasses were more than 50% at two years. Of patients undergoing arterial reconstruction, 88% of those who died within five years did so without losing their limbs. Of all the patients in whom limb salvage was attempted, 68% lived more than one year with a viable, useable extremity, and 54% lived over two years with an intact limb. We believe this aggressive approach to limb salvage is justified, and can be undertaken with a low cost in mortality, knee loss and morbidity.

Tibial and peroneal bypass in severe occlusive disease of the lower extremities

Symptomatic arteriosclerotic occlusive disease involving the femoral and proximal popliteal arteries is currently best treated by reversed autogenous saphenous vein bypass graft. Severe occlusive disease frequently includes the popliteal and/or origin of the trifurcation vessels with reconstitution of one or more of the vessels in the lower leg. We have used distal bypass 97 times in 90 patients during the past decade. There was only one postoperative death in the series in spite of the advanced age and concurrent disease in the majority of the patients. Our indications for operation continue to be relief of pain or salvage of an extremity. We rely on high quality preoperative angiograms for selection of vessels to receive the bypass. The posterior tibial artery was used in 63 of the cases, while the anterior tibial and peroneal were used in 24 and 10 cases, respectively. There were 11 immediate inhospital failures in this series of 97 cases requiring amputation in five. Three additional patients had amputations during the ensuing several months. Of the 85 grafts functioning at the time of discharge from the hospital, 16 or (18.8%) failed during the first years. Grafts that remained patent for one year have a high incidence of long term patency which is in keeping with other reported series.