The prognostic factors of arterialized bypass veins in the lower extremities.

A follow up study on 251 in situ bypass procedures on the lower extremities is done 3 years postoperatively. Patency of the bypass is correlated to smoking habits, anticoagulant therapy, age at operation and the diameter of the vein bypass. At follow up 13% of the patients had died and 217 extremities in 195 patients were examined. Using the Chi-square test we found that patency of the bypasses was primarily dependent uon the diameter of the bypass vein, and secondly on smoking habits and anticogulant therapy. Age was only of minor importance for patency.