Indications, technique, and results in 336 tibioperoneal reconstructions.

At the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, a retrospective study was done of 336 femorotibial bypasses for limb salvage, with a follow-up of 7 years. The indication for arterial reconstruction was severe ischemia in 80.7%. Early good results were obtained in 89.6%, and the mortality rate was 1.5%. The best bypass grafts were the autologous vein and the composite graft, with patency rates of 92%. Five and 7 years after surgery, the cumulative patency rates were 50.7% and 49.1% respectively.