Composite grafts: an alternative to saphenous vein for lower extremity arterial reconstruction.

In the absence of adequate saphenous vein for femoral-popliteal/infrapopliteal bypass grafts, composite grafts constructed with PTFE (Gore-tex) and short segments of autogenous tissue were utilized. The composite grafts (208 cases) were compared to plain PTFE (Gore-tex) grafts (235 cases) and to the literature results reported for saphenous vein grafts (2,108 cases) in limb salvage situations. Evaluation using life table analysis with followup extending to 63 months indicates composite grafts yielded favorable results when compared to the "gold standard" of saphenous vein and superior results to plain PTFE (Gore-tex) grafts for infrapopliteal bypass. A combined, dual center approach was chosen to enhance significance by expanding the number of patients evaluated and extending the period of followup from earlier studies reported separately from each center.