Femoropopliteal bypass using the endoscopic vein harvesting method

Abstract

Femoropopliteal bypass is a surgical procedure used in the advanced stages of peripheral arterial disease on lower limb arteries. The most common cause of arterial peripheral disease is the atherosclerotic plaque, which significantly narrows the vascular lumen. This kind of lesion is treated with vascular interventions. Those are divided into endovascular percutaneous interventions and into classic surgical interventions. In addition there is emerging a new endoscopic method in vascular bypass operations as an alternative to the already existing classic surgical intervention. Endoscopic vein harvesting is a minimally invasive surgical technique that enables vein dissection and its usage for vascular bypass with the help of videoscopic equipment. The case report presents a 68-years old male with diagnosed peripheral arterial disease. He was a suitable candidate for surgical treatment, therefore a femoropopliteal bypass was done in his right lower extremity. The distinctive note of this operation was the usage of anewer technique, that is, endoscopic vein harvesting of the greater saphenous vein.

Keywords

• vascular bypass
• endoscopic vein harvesting
• greater saphenous vein
• peripheral arterial disease