Purpose: To assess the predictive value of immediate angiographic results after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) for stenoses in femoral bypass grafts using duplex ultrasound (DUS) criteria.
Methods: A 1-year follow-up with DUS was performed in 38 patients with 50 stenoses in 41 grafts, treated with PTA for a graft stenosis. The indication for PTA according to DUS criteria was a severe stenosis in 43 lesions, and a moderate stenosis in 7 lesions. In the moderate stenosis group 3 patients showed claudication and 1 patient had a nonhealing ulcer. For the purposes of statistical evaluation, primary patency was considered present if the graft was not occluded. The graft was considered to have failed when it was found to be occluded on DUS, or when secondary interventions (surgery, repeat PTA) were performed.
Results: After 1 year the cumulative primary patency rate was 44% [95% confidence interval (CI) 27.8-59.8]. Stenoses with initially good angiographic results after PTA (< 30% residual stenosis) were 2.9 times more likely to be patent at 1 year than stenoses with initially poor or moderate angiographic results (hazard ratio 2.9, 95% CI 1.3-6.4, p = 0.007).
Conclusion: A poor or moderate angiographic result immediately following PTA was prognostic for poor long-term results and may indicate a requirement for earlier surgical intervention.