[Treatment of radiation-induced iliofemoral arterial complications with groin radionecrosis].

Long-term iliofemoral complications induced by radiation include vascular (arterial and venous) lesions, nervous lesions and soft tissue loss that can be cutaneous and subcutaneous and potentially lead to radionecrosis with vessel exposure. We present five cases of groin radionecrosis. There were three men and two women (age 30-73 years). Radiotherapy had been delivered 15 years earlier in three cases, and 2 years earlier in two cases. Symptoms were intermittent claudication (n=1), critical ischemia (n=1), and septic hemorrhage (n=1). Two patients had no vascular symptoms. Four patients underwent scheduled surgery after complete cardiac and cardiovascular evaluation with duplex-Doppler, CT scan and/or intra-arterial angiography. One woman underwent emergency surgery after septic hemorrhage of a previous in situ femoral revascularization fashioned 2 months earlier. Revascularization was achieved with trans-iliac (n=3), trans-muscular (n=1, and in situ (n=1) iliofemoral bypass. A retroperitoneal approach with section of large muscles was used. In three cases, a trans-iliac route was used by perforating the iliac wing with a 8-mm PTFE graft. Proximal anastomosis was done on the abdominal aorta (n=1) and the homolateral common iliac artery (n=2). Distal anastomosis was done on the distal profunda artery and popliteal artery (n=1) and on the distal femoral superficial artery (n=2). In two cases, an iliofemoral bypass was done with a 7-mm PTFE vascular graft. The proximal anastomosis was done on the proximal external iliac artery and the distal anastomosis on the proximal superficial femoral artery. A plastic procedure was performed in four cases. Three patients had a homolateral (n=1) or controlateral (n=2) rectus abdominis flap. In one case, plastic coverage was done with an antebrachial flap (Chinese flap), which has been released at 6 weeks. One patient had post-radiotherapy iliofemoral vascular disease, but there was no vascular exposure, and no plastic coverage was necessary. The postoperative course was uneventful in four cases. The patient treated with an in situ bypass developed septic hemorrhage at day 10, requiring revision. The patient died of multiple organ system failure, with a patent graft and a viable flap. The other four patients had no early or late complications. These patients have been followed annually for clinical examinations and duplex scans, and angio-scans. One patient died of ischemic heart disease. The three other patients are alive with a patent bypass with 11, 8 and 3 years follow-up. One patient had a late occlusion of the bypass treated by thrombectomy after 7 and 10 years. In conclusion, patients with femoral radionecrosis can be treated by an extra-anatomic bypass, with plastic coverage. The trans-iliac is a relatively simple and safe procedure.