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.