Routine intraoperative angiography. An essential adjunct in vascular surgery
I. I. Dardik, I. B. Ibrahim, S. Sprayregen, F. Veith and H. Dardik
Intraoperative angiography was performed during a variety of 155 arterial
reconstructive procedures including bypass, endarterectomy, embolectomy,
thrombectomy, primary reconstruction, and angioplasty. In 27 or 17% of
these cases, defects were identified that could be corrected. These
included technical errors at the suture line, accumulation of platelet
thrombus and atherosclerotic debris, or unrecognized lesions in the runoff.
The likelihood of identifying such lesions is greatest in patients
undergoing bypass surgery, particularly when the distal anastomosis
involves one of the leg arteries. Routine use of intraoperative angiography
as an adjunct to vascular surgery is justified and will help to obviate
many early graft failures.
