Operative treatment of atherosclerotic lesions in innominate, subclavian and vertebral arteries. A follow-up study.

The follow-up study consists of 121 surgically treated atherosclerotic patients. The average age was 49 years and the male: female ratio 7:5. There were 165 obstructions or occlusions in this series. 59 of them suffered from a subclavian steal syndrome. Altogether 146 reconstructive procedures were perdormed. 78 of them were endarterectomies, 51 bypass graft operations, 15 transpositions of the subclavian artery to the common carotid artery and 2 were other procedures. Operative mortality occurred in 3 patients (2.5 %). Non fatal complications occurred in 26 patients, the most frequent of which was thrombosis ot the reconstructed artery (12 cases). In the follow-up study (mean follow-up time 3.5 years) data on 118 patients was available. During the follow-up time 15 patients had died of other reasons than cerebral ischaemia. 42 % of the patients considered the operative result good and 51 % satisfactory. 25 % of the patients were ar work before operation and 50 % after.