Incidence and importance of lower extremity nerve lesions after infrainguinal vascular surgical interventions

Objectives: to determine the incidence of peripheral nerve lesions after ar terial vascular surgery of the lower extremity. Materials and methods: 436 patients who underwent peripheral vascular surge ry from January 1992 until December 1996 underwent a detailed postoperative neurological examination. Results: 147 patients underwent profundaplasty, 140 above-knee femoropoplit eal bypasses, 106 below-knee femoropoliteal bypasses and 56 femorotibial by passes. There were 182 women and 254 men. Peripheral nerve lesions were obs erved in 11 patients (4%) after primary operations. 166 patients underwent reoperations (38%) and 55 of these developed nerve lesions (33%). Conclusions: reoperation carries an 8-fold increased risk of nerve lesions compared with patients undergoing primary surgery. Detailed explanation of the risk of peripheral nerve lesions before vascular surgery of the lower l imb is advisable.