The femoro-femoral cross-over bypass.

From 1984 to 1990 64 patients (56 men and 8 women) with a mean age of 67.1 years (36-88 yrs.) were treated with a femoro-femoral cross-over bypass (45 primary and 19 secondary procedures). All patients had an occlusion of one iliac artery. In 26 patients there were factors that made a central reconstruction unattractive. These disorders were congestive heart failure, COPD, CVA, an age over 80 years, etc. In 19 patients an occlusion of one leg of a former aortobifemoral bypass determined the choice for cross-over bypass. Three patients died (5 per cent), two patients of the so-called redo-group (septicaemia, one patient and arteriojejunal fistula one patient), the third patient died after a primary femoro-femoral bypass (myocardial infarction). The overall patency rate after three years was 78 per cent. Especially primary cross-over bypasses showed a good outcome with a primary patency of 80 per cent and a secondary patency of 85 per cent after three years. Considering that 23 of the 45 (51 per cent) primary procedures were for treatment of critical ischaemia (stage III and IV of Fontaine), a favourable limb-salvage of 21 out of 23 (91 per cent) was obtained. The cross-over bypass can be recommended as first choice therapy for patients with a unilateral iliac artery occlusion.