The Surgical Treatment of Long Occlusions of the Superficial Femoral Artery: Initial Success and Long Term Results of Remote Endarterectomy Versus Suprageniculate Bypass Surgery

Different strategies exist in the treatment of chronic long occlusions of the superficial femoral artery and yet we still suffer a significant percentage of restenosis, re-occlusions and even major amputations, reason for continuous development of new techniques. One such technique is the recently developed minimal invasive remote endarterectomy, which shows promising patency rates and possibly less complications with earlier recovery. A more experienced and the most implemented technique is the suprageniculate femoropopliteal bypass graft, which, when using the saphenous vein, has proved durable. A randomized trial comparing both modalities was lacking so far, what makes the objective of this study a comparison of patency rates between those 2 techniques in a randomized fashion.