Clinical efficacy of endovascular stent therapy for treatment of lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease in 40 patients / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the short-term and long-term efficacy of endovascular stent therapy for lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease.Methods:Eighty patients with lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease who received treatment in Lishui Central People's Hospital from January 2020 to January 2021 were included in this study. They were randomly divided into control and observation groups, with 40 patients in each group. The control group received lower extremity artery bypass grafting, and the observation group received endovascular stent therapy. Clinical efficacy, ankle-brachial index, claudication distance, blood flow dynamics of dorsalis artery, nerve conduction velocity of the lower extremities, and postoperative complications were compared between the two groups in the short-term and 1-year follow-ups.Results:Total response rate in the observation group was 87.5% (35/40), which was significantly higher than 67.5% (27/40) in the control group ( Z = 2.00, P < 0.05). At 1-year follow-up, total response rate in the observation group was 70.0% (28/40), which was slightly, but not significantly, higher than 47.5% (19/40) in the control group ( Z = 1.77, P > 0.05). After treatment, the ankle-brachial index and claudication distance in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group ( t = 3.34, 8.30, both P < 0.001). The diameter, peak velocity and blood flow of dorsal foot artery in the observation group were significantly superior to those in the control group ( t = 6.98, 4.46, 5.95, all P < 0.001). Lower extremity nerve conduction velocity in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ( t = 3.01, 3.70, both P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group was slightly, but not significantly, lower than that in the control group [5.0% (2/40) vs. 15.0% (6/40), P > 0.05]. Conclusion:Compared with lower extremity artery bypass grafting, endovascular stent therapy has good short-term and long-term efficacy in the treatment of lower extremity atherosclerotic occlusive disease. Endovascular stent therapy can increase ankle-brachial index and claudication distance, improve the hemodynamic indexes of dorsalis pedis artery, increase lower extremity nerve conduction velocity and has a few complications.

Ruptura espontânea de aneurisma do segmento médio da artéria femoral superficial: relato de caso / Spontaneous rupture of superficial femoral artery aneurysm: case report

Aneurismas verdadeiros isolados da artéria femoral superficial (AFS) são raros, representando 0,5% dos aneurismas periféricos. Até 2012, existiam relatos na literatura de apenas 103 pacientes com aneurismas verdadeiros isolados da AFS. As principais complicações associadas são: trombose, embolização distal e rotura, sendo a última a mais comum. Os autores relatam o caso de um paciente masculino, de 55 anos, atendido emergencialmente com dor e massa pulsátil em coxa esquerda, condição posteriormente diagnosticada como ruptura de aneurisma da AFS. O paciente foi submetido à correção cirúrgica emergencial com ligadura do aneurisma e revascularização com veia safena magna reversa, com evolução satisfatória

Isolated true aneurysms of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) are rare, accounting for 0.5% of peripheral aneurysms. The literature up to 2012 contains reports of just 103 patients with isolated SFA aneurysms. The main complications are thrombosis, distal embolization, and rupture, which is the most common of the three. The authors report the case of a 55-year-old male patient admitted to the emergency service with pain and a pulsatile mass in the left thigh, subsequently confirmed as rupture of an SFA aneurysm. The patient underwent open aneurysm repair with ligature and revascularization with a reversed saphenous vein bypass

Merits of and Technical Tips for Supra-Mesenteric Aortic Cross Clamping

Supra-celiac aortic cross clamping is often utilized during aortic reconstruction for aneurysmal/occlusive disease involving the pararenal aorta. However, this may be accompanied a myriad of complications related to hemodynamic disturbances, cardiopulmonary compromise and hepatic ischemia. Supra-mesenteric aortic cross clamping may be an excellent option in selected patients with suitable anatomy to minimize or avoid these complications. Herein, the merits of and technical tips for supra-mesenteric aortic cross clamping are discussed.

A case study of nursing cooperation in axillobifemoral bypass surgery treating stent-graft infection after endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective@#To summarize the nursing cooperation of axillobifemoral bypass surgery treating stent graft infection after endovascular aortic repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm.@*Methods@#To review a case of stent graft infection after endovascular aortic repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm and summarize the nursing cooperation of this patient retrospectively.@*Results@#After the medical care tacit cooperation and the infection protection, the procedure was successfully completed. The artificial blood vessels of the patient were unobstructed after the operation, and the pulse of both dorsalis pedis arteries was strong.@*Conclusions@#Axillobifemoral bypass surgery poses the characteristicsof long duration and complex. Designation of appropriate nursing measures, such as multi-incision management, thrombosis preventing and prevention of ischemia based on potential complications, are essentials of successful operation.

Lower Extremity Arterial Bypass with Arm Vein Conduits and Literature Review

PURPOSE: The superiority of autogenous vein conduits is well known in lower extremity arterial bypass (LEAB). Among various alternative conduits for LEAB, long-term results of arm vein grafts were investigated in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed clinical characteristics of 28 patients who underwent infrainguinal LEAB with autogenous arm vein grafts at a single institute between January 2003 and December 2015. All procedures were performed in the absence of adequate saphenous veins. Graft patency was determined by periodic examinations with duplex ultrasonography. RESULTS: Autologous arm vein grafts were implanted for 28 patients (mean age, 60.4±16.8 years; range, 20–82 years; male, 92.9%; atherosclerosis, 19 [67.9%]; and non-atherosclerotic disease 9 [32.1%] including 5 patients with Buerger’s disease). Source of arm vein were basilic 13 (46.4%), cephalic 4 (14.3%) and composition graft with other veins in 11 (39.3%) cases. The level of distal anastomosis was distributed as popliteal in 5 (17.9%), tibio-peroneal in 21 (75.0%) and inframalleolar artery in 2 (7.1%) cases. Mean duration of follow-up was 41.5±46.9 months (range, 1–138 months). Cumulative primary patency rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 66.5%, 60.9% and 60.9%, respectively. Assisted-primary patency rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 66.5%, 66.5% and 66.5%, respectively. Secondary patency rates at 1, 3 and 5 years were 70.8%, 70.8% and 70.8%, respectively. There was one limb amputation during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Arm veins are a useful alternative conduit when great saphenous veins are not available during LEAB.

The Clinical Application of Duplex Ultrasonography in Evaluating the Restenosis of Peripheral Arterial Bypass Graft Postoperatively / 天津医药

Objective To explore the clinical value of the duplex ultrasonography (duplex US) for evaluating the re-stenosis after peripheral arterial bypass grafting. Methods Eighty prosthetic grafts of sixty-three patients with femoral-pop-liteal arterial bypass grafting were follow-up regularly by duplex US. They were divided into non significant stenosis group (n=56), the significant stenosis group (n=15) and occlusion group (n=9) according to the tube diameter and arterial blood flow-ing parameters, which changed postoperatively. The diagnostic results were compared and analyzed between duplex US and digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The peak flow velocity of middle grafts (MG) to 40 cm/s was defined to evaluate risk of graft occlusion. Results The diagnostic coincidence rate of duplex US and DSA for grafts stenosis classification was 90%. The diagnostic sensitivity of duplex US to grafts stenosis was 91.7%, and the specificity was 92.9%. The positive pre-dictive value was 84.6%for grafts stenosis, and the negative predictive value was 96.3%, the false positive rate was 16.7%, and the false negative rate was 8.3%. The grafts occlusion rate was higher in MG<40 cm/s group than that of MG≥40 cm/s group. Conclusion There was a good consistency with Duplex US and DSA for the diagnosis of peripheral artery bypass graft restenosis. Duplex US showed characteristics of non-invasive, simple and easily accepted by patients.

To evaluate the application value of 2 5 6-slice spiral CT angiography in lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans patients after grafts operation / 实用放射学杂志

Objective To evaluate the application value of 256 slice spiral CT angiography (CTA)in the bridge vessels lesions af-ter grafts operation in lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans patients.Methods Taken DSA as the gold standard,using 256 slices spiral CTA to analysis the post-processing image of 76 article Bridge vascular which can be assessed in 65 cases patients with lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans,and to evaluated the diagnosis accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate of postoperative bridge intravascular lesions.Results Using 256 slices spiral CTA,the bridge vascular of grafts operation patients can be clearly displayed,stenosis or unobstructed,and the anastomosis of the bridge vascular.5 graft occlu-sion,22bridge intravascular plaque were diagnosed correctly,3 vascular lesions were undiscovered.The accuracy,sensitivity,speci-ficity,positive predictive rate and negative predictive rate were 98.15%,96.15%,97.90%,92.59% and 97.96% respectively. Conclusion Using 256 slices spiral CTA can clearly show the endovascular lesions of lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans after grafts operation,and has high accuracy and specificity.It can be safely used as one of noninvasive follow-up means after grafts oper-ation.

Axillofemoral Bypass to Treat Severe Heart Failure Caused by Takayasu's Arteritis

Takayasu's arteritis is an inflammatory vasculitis that primarily affects the aorta and its major branches. Involvement of the thoracic and abdominal aortas, although rare, causes marked hypertension and may lead to severe heart failure. We report the improvement of cardiac function after axillofemoral bypass grafting in a 59-year-old woman who had this condition.

Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery Using a Radial Artery Interposition Graft for Cerebrovascular Diseases

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery using a radial artery interposition graft (RAIG) for surgical management of cerebrovascular diseases. METHODS: The study involved a retrospective analysis of 13 patients who underwent EC-IC bypass surgery using RAIG at a single neurosurgical institute between 2003 and 2009. The diseases comprised intracranial aneurysm (n=10), carotid artery occlusive disease (n=2), and delayed stenosis in the donor superficial temporal artery (STA) following previous STA-middle cerebral artery bypass surgery (n=1). Patients were followed clinically and radiographically. RESULTS: Bypass surgery was successful in all patients. At a mean follow-up of 53.4 months, the short-term patency rate was 100%, and the long-term rate was 92.3%. Twelve patients had an excellent clinical outcome of Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) 5, and one case had GOS 3. Procedure-related complications were a temporary dysthesia on the graft harvest hand (n=1) and a hematoma at the graft harvest site (n=1), and these were treated successfully with no permanent sequelae. In one case, spasm occurred which was relieved with the introduction of mechanical dilators. CONCLUSION: EC-IC bypass using a RAIG appears to be an effective treatment for a variety of cerebrovascular diseases requiring proximal occlusion or trapping of the parent artery.

Transition of Treatment Modalities for Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease for the Recent 5 Years According to the TASC II Classifications in a Single Institution

PURPOSE: Endovascular treatment for peripheral arterial obstructive disease (PAOD) is replacing traditional arterial bypass in the western world. Yet there are few reports to evaluate the pattern of clinical practice pattern for PAOD in Korea. This study was conducted to evaluate the treatment pattern for PAOD between endovascular treatment and arterial bypass, and to compare their clinical characteristics. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study on the prospectively maintained database of patients who underwent endovascular treatment and arterial bypass for PAOD from March 2005 to December 2009 in Inha University Hospital. The aortoiliac lesions and femoropopliteal lesions were categorized by the Trans Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus (TASC) II classifications. Their treatments and clinical characteristics were compared between the former period (2005~2007 y) and the latter period (2008~2009 y). RESULTS: Three hundred nine cases (178 patients) were treated for PAOD by either arterial bypass or endovascular treatment. The patients' mean age was 69.1+/-11.3 year old. There was no difference in clinical characteristics between the two periods except for age. Endovascular treatments of both aortoiliac and femoropopliteal arterial lesions were increased in the latter period (P=0.023, P<0.001). Also, the endovascular treatments were increased in the TASC C and D aortoiliac and femoropopliteal lesions in the latter period (P=0.020, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Endovascular treatment for PAOD is increasing in clinical practice and this shows feasibility in critically ill patient with TASC C and D lesions, although arterial bypass is still important.

Obturator Bypass Surgery in a Patient with an Infected Femoral Artery Rupture after Performed ECMO: A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Infection of both native and prosthetic vessels in the groin is a very serious disease because of recurrent arterial rupture and sepsis, which can cause death. The successful treatment of groin infection, including infection of the femoral artery, requires extensive excision of the infected tissues and restoration of the circulation where the infected area is isolated. Here we describe a case of obturator bypass in a patient with infected femoral artery rupture that occurred after extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for myocarditis and severe heart failure.

Giant Intracranial Aneurysm with Blind Sac on Middle Cerebral Artery: Case Report / 대한뇌혈관외과학회지

A case of a giant intracranial aneurysm (GIA) with a blind sac on the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) accompanied by mural thrombosis is described. A 62-year-old male presented with headache and motor dysphasia. Magnetic resonance imaging and digital subtraction angiography revealed a GIA that arose from the proximal MCA. The M2 segment of the MCA was not visualized due to intramural thrombosis. The patient was treated with an extracranial-intracranial arterial bypass and trapping of the aneurysm. Literature relevant to the management of this rare lesion is reviewed and discussed.

Obturator Bypass Surgery in a Patient with an Infected Femoral Artery Pseudoaneurysm with Sepsis / 대한흉부외과학회지

Infection of the both native and prosthetic vessels in the groin is a very serious disease because of recurrent arterial rupture and sepsis, and both these complications can cause death. The successful treatment of groin infection, including infection of the femoral artery, requires extensive excision of the infected tissues and restoration of the circulation. We experienced a case of obturator bypass in a patient with an infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysm and accompanying sepsis, and this occurred after performing a transfemoral angiogram in an A-V fistula of the carotid artery, and the patient also displayed intracranial hemorrhage.

Peripheral Arterial Bypass Using Interpositional Vein Graft in the Hypothenar Hammer Syndrome

PURPOSE: The clinical syndrome of unilateral finger ischemia, caused by digital artery occlusions from embolization from the palmar ulnar artery associated with repetitive striking of the palm, has been called the hypothenar hammer syndrome(HHS). We report the case of a man with this unique disease probably caused by manual work. METHODS: A 52-year-old male left-hand dominant manual worker complained of pain and coldness in the left 4,5th finger. On physical examination, there was a tip necrosis and the result of Allen's test was mildly positive(sluggish filling of hand from the ulnar artery). Arteriograms confirmed occlusion of the distal ulnar artery without direct perfusion of the superficial palmar arch and distal digital artery. Surgical bypass with reverse autologous vein grafting was performed between ulnar artery and superficial palmar arch, common digital artery. RESULTS: He had an uneventful postoperative course and has remained asymptomatic for 18 months since discharge. Patency has been confirmed by color doppler with resolution of cold intolerance and successful digital preservation. CONCLUSION: We introduce a very unique pattern of vascular ischemic disease and recommend the arterial bypass with vein interpositional grafting.

The Effect of the Simple Fogarty Thromboembolectomy / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: The Fogarty thromboembolectomy catheter technique was devised to extract distal arterial emboli and it represents a milestone for the treatment of patients with acute arterial occlusion since the 1960s. The major causes of arterial occlusion have changed from emboli of a heart origin to atherosclerosis over the past 30 years. Accordingly, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: During the period from March 1990 through August 2008, 156 patients who requiring Fogarty thromboembolectomy were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: those with simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy (Group 1, 79 patients) and those with additional vascular bypass graft surgery (Group 2, 77 patients). The duration of symptoms, the cause of thrombi, admission via the emergency room, a history of acupuncture or misdiagnosis, combined diseases, the anatomic occlusion site and the cause of death were analyzed using T-tests, cross tab tests, Chi square tests and Kaplan-Meier tests, respectively. RESULT: The mean age was 64+/-10 years in the 2 groups. The duration of symptoms (pain) in Group 1 vs Group 2 was 12+/-4 days vs 71+/-14 days (p=0.001). 50 (63%) patients in Group 1 were admitted via the emergency room vs 18 (23%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.005). Misdiagnosis and the treatment for herniated intervertebral disc or acupuncture were given to 20 (25%) patients in Group 1 vs 30 (39%) patients in Group 2. Anticoagulation treatment before admission was performed in 22 (28%) patients in Group 1 vs 11 (14%) patients in Group 2. The causes of thrombi were heart disease in 24 (30%) patients in Group 1 vs 6 (8%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.001), atherosclerosis in 46 (58%) patients in Group 1 vs 67 (87%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.001) and trauma in 9 (11%) patients in Group 1 vs 6 (8%) patients in Group 2. The combined diseases were cerebrovascular accident, hypertension and diabetes mellitus in 22~37% of the total patients. The occlusion sites were mainly in the iliac and femoral arteries. Endarterectomy was performed in 7 (9%) patients in Group 1 vs 18 (23%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.012). Treatment was successful in 27 (34%) patients in Group 1 and in 40 (52%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.019). Reocclusion occurred in 37 (47%) patients in Group 1 vs 20 (26%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.000). Amputation was done in 4 (5%) patients in Group 1 vs 12 (16%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.012) and death occurred in 10 (13%) patients (Group 1) vs 3 (4%) patients (Group 2) (p=0.044). CONCLUSION: The recent past has shown a decline in the effectiveness of simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy with a changing pattern of acute arterial occlusion from a rheumatic heart origin to atherosclerosis. Additional bypass procedures play a role for the treatment of arterial occlusion instead of always performing simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy.

An Unusual Delayed Pseudoaneurysm That Originated from a Bypass Suture Site and It Was Revealed to Be an Organizing Thrombus 7 Years after an Extraanatomic Bypass : A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Bypass surgery is performed for insuring continuity of a blood supply that is restricted due to obstruction of the native blood supply. Two types of surgery are commonly carried out: one is anatomic bypass and the other is extraanatomic bypass. Especially, extraanatomic bypass surgery is performed in patients who are a high risk for performing anatomical bypass surgery. The risk factors for anatomical bypass surgery are old age, infection, previous surgery and trauma. A 96-year-old patient underwent extraanatomic bypass surgery from the right femoral artery to the left femoral artery due to total occlusion of the left iliac artery, and 7 years after that operation, a pseudoaneurysm abruptly and spontaneously appeared from the bypass suture site without any predisposing factor. The lesion was revealed to be an organizing thrombus.

Brachial-ulnar Artery Bypass for Treating Ischemic Steal Syndrome: Report of A Case

Ischemic steal syndrome is an uncommon, but horrible complication of vascular access surgery, and this malady is manifested by paresthesia, weakness, pallor, pain, ulceration and tissue loss in the severe cases. Because peripheral ischemic steal syndrome can develop by any or a combination of the several mechanisms (retrograde flow, arterial stenosis, very-high fistula flow, distal arteriopathy), the treatment should be based on a detail history, physical examination and appropriate evaluations that include a complete angiogram. We report here on a 50-year-old woman with ischemic finger ulcers after she underwent hemodialysis access surgery, and she was successfully treated by a brachial-ulnar bypass with using a saphenous vein graft.

The Serial Change of Cerebral Hemodynamics by Vascular Territory after Extracranial-Intracranial Bypass Surgery in Patients with Atherosclerosis of Cerebral Arteries / 핵의학분자영상

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery on hemodynamic improvement, we evaluated serial regional cerebral hemodynamic change of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in symptomatic patients with atherosclerotic occlusion of the internal carotid artery (ICA) or MCA using (99m)Tc-ECD acetazolamide stress brain perfusion SPECT (Acetazolamide SPECT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients who had suffered a recent stroke with atherosclerotic ICA or MCA occlusion underwent EC-IC bypass surgery and Acetazolamide SPECT at 1 week before and three to six months after surgery. For image analysis, attenuation corrected images were spatially normalized to SPECT templates with SPM2. Anatomical automated labeling was applied to calculate mean counts of each Volume-Of-Interest (VOI). Seven VOIs of bilateral frontal, parietal, temporal regions of the MCA territory and the ipsilateral cerebellum were defined. Using mean counts of 7 VOIs, cerebral perfusion index and perfusion reserve index were calculated. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (M:F=12:5, mean age: 53+/-2yr) were finally included in the analysis. The cerebral blood flow of the parietal region increased at 1 week (p=0.003) and decreased to the preoperative level at 3-6 months (p=0.003). The cerebrovascular reserve of the frontal and parietal regions increased significantly at 1 week after surgery (p<0.01) and improved further at 3-6 months. CONCLUSION: Cerebrovascular reserve of the MCA territory was significantly improved at early postoperative period after EC-IC bypass and kept improved state during long-term follow-up, although cerebral blood flow did not significantly improved. Therefore, cerebrovascular reserve may be a good indicator of postoperative hemodynamic improvement resulted from bypass effect.

Clinical Result of Surgical Treatment for Atherosclerosis Obliterans of Lower Extremity / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to investigate the outcomes of vascular operations that were done in patients with atheroscerosis obliterans (ASO) of lower limb. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Forty patients underwent vascular operations from December 1996 to June 2004. The patient's records were analyzed retrospectively. Mean age was 66+/-8 years (range, 47~81 years). Gender ratio was 37:3 (male:female). RESULT: The operations were done on 50 lower limbs of 40 patients. The names of operations were femoropopliteal bypass in 12 patients (30%), femorofemoral bypass in 12 (30%), femorofemoral bypass and femoropopliteal bypass in five (12.5%), aorta-lower limb artery bypass in five (12.5%), axillofemoral bypass in two (5%), iliopopliteal bypass in two (5%), and endarterectomy in two (5%). All bypass surgeries were done with prosthetic conduits. Mean follow up period was 33.2+/-23.2 months (range, 3.8~90.2 months). The cumulative patency rates of 1 and 5 years were 75.5 and 58.7% respectively. In six patients, amputation of the lower limb was done. In eight patients, 12 complications occurred. After the first operation, 10 patients underwent reoperations. CONCLUSION: Our lower limb arterial bypass surgery revealed acceptable patency rate, but not a few patients required reoperations. An epochal treatment modality that can inhibit the progress of ASO and improve long term patency should be established.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Failing Grafts Detected by Graft Surveillance after Lower Extremity Arterial Bypass

PURPOSE: We wanted to determine the incidence and characteristics of failing graft after implantation of autologous reversed vein grafts. METHOD: From Sep. 2003 to Dec. 2005, 84 leg bypasses using autologous reversed vein grafts were performed for chronic leg ischemia in 75 patients. After the operations, duplex ultrasonography (DUS) and measurement of the ankle brachial index (ABI) were performed every 3 months for the purpose of examining the graft patency. The criteria for a failing graft was a peak systolic velocity (PSV) of the stenotic lesion >300 cm/s, or a PSV distal to the occlusive lesion <40 cm/s, but with sustained patency of the vein graft. We investigated the timing of detection, the site of the causative lesion, and the clinical symptoms of the failing grafts. For the treatment of failing grafts, surgeries (vein patch, graft extension, or inflow artery reconstruction) were performed in 4 legs. The Kaplan Meier method was used for calculating the rate of graft patency. RESULT: Nine failing grafts were detected by DUS in 8 patients. The sites of causative lesions were the inflow artery (2), the proximal anastomosis (6), and the distal anastomosis (1). Seven of the 9 patients with failing grafts were asymptomatic, 1 patient had claudication and another patient suffered from resting pain of the involved leg. The assisted graft primary patency rates at 1 and 2 years after operations were 86% and 53%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Nine cases of failing grafts were detected during surveillance with duplex ultrasonography after implantation of autologous reversed vein grafts.