Changing patterns in aortoiliac reconstruction: a 7-year audit.

A prospective vascular audit was performed in this hospital between 1988 and 1994. There was a substantial increase in the number of vascular reconstructions (78 in 1988; 141 in 1994). Aortobifemoral grafts for occlusive disease comprised 18 per cent of the operations in 1988 and 0.7 per cent in 1994 (95 per cent confidence interval 0.086-0.259). There was a corresponding increase in the number of extra-anatomic grafts (from 3 to 20.6 per cent). There was a threefold increase in the number of percutaneous angioplasties performed for iliac occlusive lesions (14 in 1988; 41 plus 13 iliac stent procedures in 1994). This had no impact on the total rate of surgical intervention for aortoiliac disease, although it probably aided the shift to extra-anatomic reconstruction by dilatation of the donor side. To investigate whether this change is national, rather than local, graft sales figures were obtained from two vascular graft companies; these confirmed a national trend away from aortobifemoral grafting and provide some evidence to support an increase in extra-anatomic bypass grafting.