Reconstructive Vascular Surgery for Intermittent Claudication

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Abstract
Over an 8-yr period, 140 patients underwent 172 vascular reconstructions (187 reconsructed limbs) to relieve disabling intermittent claudication: bilateral aortoiliac or aortoileofemoral thrombendarterectomy (30 limbs), unilateral iliac or ileofemoral thrombendarterectomy (41 limbs), simultaneous unilateral ileofemoral thrombendarterectomy and femoropopliteal saphenous vein bypass graft alone (93 limbs). The cumulative 5-yr limb patency rates varied between 100 and 85.6% in the 4 groups. Age and diabetes did not influence patency rates. Only 2 limbs required amputation. Reconstruction can be undertaken with a high rate of long-term patency and symptomatic relief in patients with restricting claudication due to aortoiliac, ileofemoral and/or femoropopliteal occlusion.