Differential patency and limb salvage for polytetrafluoroethylene and autogenous saphenous vein in severe lower extremity ischemia.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) was compared to autogenous saphenous vein (ASV) in 133 femoropopliteal and femorotibial or peroneal bypass procedures performed in limb salvage during a 4-year period. PTFE was used as an alternative prosthesis in the absence of a suitable ASV. Sixty-nine femoropopliteal bypasses (FPBPs) were studied--36 with ASV and 33 with PTFE. Sixty-four femorotibial or peroneal bypasses were categorized as femoral distal bypasses (FDBPs)--34 with ASV and 30 with PTFE. With a 3-year clinical follow-up, cumulative function rate (CFR)--patency including thrombectomy--for FPBP with ASV was 65% as compared to 53% for PTFE (P greater than 0.05), whereas the limb salvage rate (LSR) was 75% with ASV and 56% for PTFE (P greater than 0.05). However for FDBP, the GFR was 55% for ASV and 7% for PTFE, whereas the LSR was 55% with ASV and 26% for PTFE. The cumulative patency rate (CPR)--initial thrombosis of a prosthesis as an endpoint--was not significantly (P greater than 0.05) different from CFR, suggesting that thrombectomy with or without distal anastamotic revision does not contribute to patency of the PTFE prosthesis in these limb salvage cases. PTFE was a suitable alternative to ASV for FPBP; however, PTFE is recommended for FDBP in selected cases only.