A 33-year experience with surgical management of popliteal artery aneurysms Presented in the poster session at the 2014 Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery, Boston, Mass, June 5-7, 2014

Objective This study retrospectively analyzed our 33-year experience with surgical management of popliteal artery aneurysms (PAAs), with particular attention paid to early and long-term results. Methods From January 1981 to December 2013, 234 open surgical interventions for PAA were performed in 196 patients. Data concerning these interventions were collected in a dedicated database containing main preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative features. Early (intraoperative and <30 days) results were analyzed for mortality, thrombosis, reintervention, and amputation rates. The follow-up program consisted of clinical and duplex ultrasound examinations at 1 month and yearly thereafter. Patients who did not accomplish follow-up examinations were interviewed by telephone. Additional data regarding long-term survival and major clinical events were obtained from the Regional Health Care database. Follow-up results were analyzed for survival, primary and secondary patency, and amputations rates. Results Patients were predominantly males (186 [95%]), with a mean age of 68.5 ± 9.9 years. The PAA was asymptomatic in 97 limbs, intermittent claudication was present in 68, and limb-threatening ischemia was present in 62. Aneurysmal rupture occurred in six patients, and venous compression with leg swelling and pain was present in one patient. The intervention consisted of aneurysmal ligation and bypass grafting in 122 interventions, aneurysmectomy with graft interposition was used in 108, and four patients underwent aneurysmectomy with an end-to-end anastomosis. An autologous vein was used in 49 interventions, and a prosthetic graft was used in 181. In 71 interventions a posterior approach was used, and in the remaining 163, a medial approach was preferred. There were two perioperative deaths, with a cumulative mortality rate of 1%. Perioperative thrombosis occurred after 18 interventions (7.7%). A successful reintervention was performed in 10 of those patients, whereas surgical thrombectomy was ineffective in one patient and leg amputation was necessary. The remaining seven patients underwent major amputation without any new surgical attempt. An adjunctive major amputation was necessary in a patient with a patent bypass for irreversible foot ischemia. The cumulative rate of amputations at 30 days was 3.8% (9 of 234 limbs). Mean duration of follow-up was 62 months (range 1-312 months). During follow-up, 31 deaths, 45 thromboses, and 10 amputations were recorded. The estimated 13-year survival rate was 50.8% (standard error [SE], 0.07%); during the same interval, primary patency, secondary patency, and limb preservation rates were 55.1% (SE, 0.05%), 68% (SE, 0.05%), and 86% (SE, 0.04%). Conclusions Open surgical repair of PAAs provided good results in our experience, with low rates of perioperative complications and an excellent durability in the very long-term setting, representing the benchmark for alternative techniques such as endovascular repair

A Multicenter Predictive Score for Amputation-Free Survival for Patients Operated on with an Heparin-Bonded ePTFE Graft for Critical Limb Ischemia

Aim of the study: To retrospectively create a predictive score for estimating amputation-free survival (AFS) in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) operated on with the use of a heparin-bonded expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) bypass graft (Hb-ePTFE). Methods: Over a 13-year period, ending in March 2015, a Hb-ePTFE graft was implanted in 683 patients undergoing below-knee revascularization for CLI in seven Italian vascular hospitals. Data concerning these interventions were retrospectively collected in a multicenter registry with a dedicated database. Univariate and multivariable analyses with Kaplan–Meier estimates were used to identify potential significant predictors of AFS at 5&nbsp;years, and then a predictive risk score was constructed. A qualitative assessment of the Kaplan–Meier survival estimates for each integer score was performed, and subgroups of risk were stratified on the basis of the primary end point. Results: Overall, estimated 5-year AFS rate was 48.3&nbsp;% (SE 0.024). At multivariate analysis, older age, coronary artery disease, end-stage renal disease, tissue loss and poor runoff score were predictors of AFS. The integer score ranged from 0 to 11; Kaplan–Meier analysis for AFS in each score group identified three subgroups with significant differences at 5&nbsp;years: low-risk subgroup (scores from 0 to 2, 67.7&nbsp;%), medium-risk subgroup (scores 3 and 4, 49.2&nbsp;%, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001 in comparison with low-risk subgroup) and high-risk subgroup (scores from 5 to 11, 25.2&nbsp;%, p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001 in comparison with either low-risk subgroup or medium-risk subgroup). Conclusions: A category of low-risk patients with CLI treated with the indexed graft does exist, thus suggesting a primary role for Hb-ePTFE in such patients. A prospective validation of such a score is necessary