Durability of femoropopliteal reconstructions. Endarterectomy versus vein bypass grafts

Eighty-seven endarterectomies and 345 saphenous vein bypass grafts were carried out from 1955 to 1967 because of atherosclerotic femoropopliteal occlusive disease. The follow-up period ranged from three to fifteen years and accumulative patency rates were calculated by the life table method. Patency rates at three, five, and seven years for vein grafts were 74 per cent, 68 per cent, and 63 per cent, respectively. The patency rates for endarterectomy at these periods were 38 per cent, 33 per cent, and 23 per cent, respectively. In our experience once a vein bypass graft has been successfully implanted, the long-term success rate is little altered by pre-existing disease of the outflow vessels.