Distally based sartorius muscle flap in the treatment of infected femoral arterial prostheses.

Although less frequent, arterial prosthetic infections are still a disaster for patient and surgeon since they can lead to multiple complications. The inguinal area is the site of more than three-quarters of the graft infections because of anatomical and technical factors. Of all the proposed forms of treatment none has proven to be totally effective and applicable to all cases. We have employed a technique in which the infected portion of the graft is removed, replaced by a new graft and covered with a distally based sartorius muscle flap. Two illustrative cases are presented in which the procedure proved to be successful for two and for eleven years, and the question is raised as to the benefits of this maneuver in the prevention of infection in those cases that require re-operation.