Bilateral infrainguinal vein grafts and the incidence of vein graft stenosis

Abstract

To elucidate the incidence of significant vein graft stenosis in patients who have undergone bilateral infrainguinal vein grafts. Between 1987 and 1996, 22 patients were identified from our vascular studies database as having undergone bilateral infrainguinal vein bypass grafting. Data was obtained from the vascular studies database and by case note review. All patients had been part of a vein graft surveillance programme. Of the 22 patients with bilateral vein grafts, eight were excluded from further analysis because one or more of their grafts failed within 30 postoperative days. In the remaining 14 patients (28 vein grafts) there were 15 primary vein graft stenoses. Six patients (43%) had bilateral vein graft stenoses, which is significantly higher (p = 0.0008) than the predicted value of 9%, for developing bilateral vein graft stenoses. For those patients who developed a vein graft stenosis in their first grafted limb (9/14), 67% (6/14) subsequently developed a vein graft stenosis in their second grafted limb. Patients who develop vein graft stenosis in one limb are at a greater risk of developing a contralateral vein graft stenosis if that limb is grafted. This may well be due to individual vein morphology or unidentified systemic factors that play a role in the aetiology of vein graft stenosis.