A COMPARISON OF EARLY RESULTS BETWEEN THE AUTOGENOUS VEIN AND PTFE GRAFTS IN İNFRAİNGUİNAL ARTERIAL RECUNSTRUCTION

48 patients with atherosclerotic oclusive disease were performed infrainguinal arterial reconstruction. 28 of them were used autogenous vein grafts and 20 of them were used PTFE grafts. In autogenous group, mean age was 56±3 and in PTFE group, it was 52+5. All patients were evaluated according to graft patency, limb salvage and amputation rate and these results were compared.

In autogenous group, early patency rate was 92.±1 % (n=26), it was 85±3 % (n= 17) in PTFE group. Limb salvage rate was 96.4±2 % (n=27) in autogenous group, it was 90±2 % (n=18) in PTFEs. Minor amputation rate was 3.5±1 % (n=1) in vein group, it was 5 % (n=1) in PTFEs. There was no difference statistically in both group (p> 0.05).

In conclusion, femorodistal reconstruction should be performed with autogenous vein grafts due to the consistently better patency reported in literature. For bypass grafting where the autogenous vein is unavailale or inadequate PTFE grafts might be an acceptable alternative in limbs with good run off.