Long-term prognosis for reconstruction of arterial lesions due to arteriosclerosis.

Out of 769 patients with arterial diseases, reconstructive surgery was performed on 100 limbs of 79 patients for arteriosclerosis. The overall patency rate was 59 per cent over a period of 3 to 8 years. Long-term patency was influenced by the condition of the run-off arteries, the site of the operation, and the method of surgery. No relation was found between patency rate and hypertension, cardiac insufficiency, total serum cholesterol, diabetes mellitus, or age. The survival rate was 62 per cent at 5 years and 48 per cent at 7 years. These rates were significantly poor (p less than 0.001), compared with those in the normal population. Mortality was related to the degree of hypertension, with cardiac and renal failure being responsible for 72 per cent of deaths. Aggressive reconstruction may be indicated in cases with hypertension of stage 2 or below based on the WHO classification. However, especially in patients with associated diabetes mellitus close long-term observation of the cardiovascular system is necessary.