How effective is aorto-bifemoral bypass surgery and how safe is the procedure?
A. This operation is the gold standard for all surgical interventions for bilateral aortoiliac occlusive disease (Atherosclerosis that affects both legs in the pelvic area where the main artery from the heart splits into the two main leg arteries.) The long-term effectiveness of this surgical procedure has been established with many studies showing that over 90% of these bypass grafts remain open at five years, which compares to 80-85% rates for balloon angioplasty and stents in this location. The procedure is usually safe, with mortality from studies performed in the 1990’s being less than two percent (1.9 %). Patients usually can go home from the hospital in about 5 days. Despite this success, an aorto-bifemoral bypass procedure is not always the best choice. For some patients, the area of narrowing in the aorta or iliac arteries is short and would be favorable for balloon angioplasty or stenting which are less invasive procedures.
