Distal profunda femoris to popliteal artery bypass for patients with a short length of long saphenous vein.

A technique of distal profunda femoris to popliteal artery bypass is described in two patients in whom the length of long saphenous vein available for grafting was too short for a conventional femoropopliteal bypass. Because each patient has a large profunda system which was free from proximal disease, a bypass was constructed betweeen the distal profunda femoris and the upper popliteal arteries, utilizing the short length of long saphenous vein available. Both patients had complete relief of their symptoms and objective evidence of improvement.