PATTERNS OF ATHEROSCLEROTIC OCCLUSIVE DISEASE OF LOWER LEG AND PEDAL ARTERIES IN HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS UNDERGOING INFRAINGUINAL BYPASS PROCEDURES

Objective. To analyse the atherosclerotic involvement of lower leg and foot arteries in patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass grafting. S etting. Department of Surgery, University Hospital. Patients. Among 28 2 limbs (267 patients), fifty limbs belonged to hypertensive nondiabet ics (Group A), 39 to hypertensive diabetics (Group B), 129 to normoten sive nondiabetics (Group C) and 64 to normotensive diabetics (Group D) . Interventions. Femoropopliteal or femorodistal bypass procedures. Me asures. Intraoperative postreconstruction serial angiography of the lo wer leg and foot arteries. Results. Occlusion rate of two or three low er leg arteries was significantly higher among diabetics (Group B 77% and Group D 73%, respectively) compared to nondiabetics (Group A 56% a nd Group D 51%, respectively). It was similar in diabetic patients wit h or without hypertension. The incidence of having both foot arches (d orsal and plantar arch) intact was significantly higher in nondiabetic patients with hypertension (Group A). Only 5.8% of these patients dem onstrated both deficient or occluded foot arches compared to 18% in Gr oup B and 31% in Group C and 20% in Group D. Conclusion. Hypertension does not seem to contribute to the extent and severity of lower leg an d foot vessel involvement in patients undergoing infrainguinal bypass surgery.