[Indication of femorotibial and femoroperoneal bypass for Buerger's disease].

Infrapopliteal bypass with autogenous vein graft was performed in twenty-three patients of thromboangiitis obliterans (Buerger's Disease) during the past 8 years. The outflow vessel of the graft had the direct connection with the pedal arch in 3 cases. In 20 cases the graft was anastomosed to the solitary tibial or peroneal segment, in which the occlusive lesion existed between the outflow vessel and pedal arch, or otherwise, the pedal arch was not opacified in the arteriogram. The length of the solitary tibial or peroneal segment of the successful cases ranged from 11.5 cm to 29.0 cm. The cumulative patency rates of the 23 bypass grafts at 3 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 years were 86.7%, 77.3%, 77.3%, 77.3% respectively. This result is comparable to those of other authors. When the solitary tibial or peroneal artery is found out and is longer than 12 cm in the arteriogram of Buerger's Disease, we are going to perform bypass surgery to the vessel. If the foot is already necrotic, the amputation should be carried out several days or several weeks after the successful reconstructive surgery.