Femoropopliteal bypass

Femoropopliteal bypass
Illustration depicting the femoral arteries and popliteal arteries (anterior view).
SpecialtyVascular surgery

Popliteal bypass surgery, more commonly known as femoropopliteal bypass (FPB, fem-pop, etc.) or more generally as lower extremity bypass surgery, is a surgical procedure used to treat diseased leg arteries above or below the knee.[1] It is used as a medical intervention to salvage limbs that are at risk of amputation and to improve walking ability in people with severe intermittent claudication (leg muscle pain) and ischemic rest pain.[2]

Popliteal bypass surgery is a common type of peripheral bypass surgery which carries blood from the femoral artery of the thigh to the end of the popliteal artery behind the knee.[3] The femoral artery runs along the thigh and extends to become the popliteal artery which runs posteriorly to the knee and femur. Smaller arteries carry blood supply from the popliteal artery to the calf and into the foot.[4] Blockages caused by plaque build-up or atherosclerosis in any of these arteries can reduce leg blood circulation, causing leg pain that may interfere with daily life.[4]

Standard popliteal bypass surgery involves the bypass of the popliteal artery.[5] During surgery, incisions are made depending on the location of the blockage.[3] Usually, a healthy vein is located and sewn above and below the blockage to bypass the narrowed or blocked femoral artery.[6] This allows the blood to be redirected to flow through the new healthy vessel around the blockage. In some cases, synthetic graft materials (such as polytetrafluoroethylene) are used instead of a vein graft.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Femoropopliteal Bypass (Fem-Pop Bypass) for Peripheral Arterial Disease". Healthwise. July 22, 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  2. ^ Ambler, Graeme K; Twine, Christopher P (2018-02-11). "Graft type for femoro-popliteal bypass surgery". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2018 (2): CD001487. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd001487.pub3. ISSN 1465-1858. PMC 6491197. PMID 29429146.
  3. ^ a b "Peripheral Bypass Surgery" (PDF). Veterans Health Library. 10 December 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  4. ^ a b "Leg artery bypass (fem-pop bypass)" (PDF). NHS University Hospital Southampton. October 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-24. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  5. ^ Berglund J, Björck M, Elfström J, SWEDVASC Femoro-popliteal Study Group (April 2005). "Long-term Results of Above Knee Femoro-popliteal Bypass Depend on Indication for Surgery and Graft-material". European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 29 (4): 412–418. doi:10.1016/j.ejvs.2004.12.023. PMID 15776397.
  6. ^ "The Femoral Popliteal Bypass Surgery Procedure". www.hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved 2019-03-24.