Limitations of Percutaneous Treatment for Peripheral Arterial Vein Graft Stenoses

Peripheral arterial bypass vein graft stenosis is the leading cause of graft failure within the first 2 years following implantation. These lesions are generally secondary to myointimal hyperplasia and have historically been treated with graft revision or operative patch angioplasty. Unfortunately, graft revision or angioplasty requires reoperation through a scarred incision and usage of additional portions of autologous conduit. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) in the treatment of vein graft stenosis. PTA was performed in 17 patent vein grafts in 16 patients for the treatment of perianastomotic and/or midvein graft stenoses occurring 7 ± 1 months (range 0.5-18 months) after graft implantation. Criteria for follow-up and patency adhered to the standards of the Ad Hoc Committee on Reporting Standards of the SVS/NAISCVS. After a mean follow-up of 17 ±3 months (range 2-44 months), the procedure-specific 18-month primary patency, primary-assisted patency, secondary patency, and limb salvage rates were 48 + 17%, 63 + 12%, 67 ± 12%, and 78 ± 15%, respectively. Subgroup analysis revealed favorable lesions (one or two focal lesions, < 1 cm length) in 11 grafts. Life-table analysis for this subgroup revealed primary patency, primary-assisted patency, secondary patency, and limb salvage rates of 68 ±20%, 90 ±9%, 90 ±9%, and 100%, respectively. The overall results of PTA for vein graft stenosis are poor and PTA should not be liberally applied to complex lesions. PTA may be a reasonable alternative to operative repair for focal vein graft stenoses in high-risk patients or in patients with limited remaining autologous conduit.