PERCUTANEOUS FEMOROPOPLITEAL GRAFT PLACEMENT

Femoropopliteal bypass surgery is now recommended for the treatment of long-segment or diffuse superficial femoral artery disease. The autho rs describe a technique for percutaneous placement of a prosthetic fem oropopliteal graft. The technique has been accomplished with conventio nal polytetrafluoroethylene graft material and a variety of implantati on techniques. Technical success was achieved in eight patients who un derwent graft placement. Grafts up to 28 cm in length were placed, and graft patency was demonstrated up to 6 months after implantation. Six of the eight patients were asymptomatic during the follow-up period; one patient who had symptoms during this time underwent thrombolysis a nd redilation of the distal stent, and the symptoms resolved. This stu dy demonstrates the feasibility of percutaneous graft placement in the femoral artery, but durability must be established in relation to tra ditional bypass surgery before it can be recommended on a wider scale.