Femoropopliteal bypass: saphenous vein and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene grafts.

: The patency of 181 saphenous vein and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) femoropopliteal bypass grafts was assessed during a follow-up that ranged from 1 to 53 months after operation. Significantly better patency (P less than 0.05) was noted with saphenous vein (70%) than with PTFE (56%). Life-table analysis at 30 months demonstrated a cumulative patency of 50% for saphenous vein grafts versus 39% for PTFE, while at 53 months the rates were 46% and 33% respectively. The PTFE grafts tended to occlude earlier than saphenous vein grafts but after the initial year, both types of graft failed at a rate of about 5% a year. Patency was similar in both groups when operation was performed for claudication, but for limb salvage operations saphenous vein patency was superior to PTFE. Although the groups were similar in constitution, a higher percentage of patients in the PTFE group had undergone previous vascular operations.