Determining the Patency of Femoral Popliteal Bypass Grafts

To the Editor: The patency of femoral-popliteal bypass grafts may sometimes be in doubt. This problem arises in the immediate post-operative period as well as in the longer-term follow-up period. Graft patency may be difficult to assess by palpation. Doppler assessment at the foot may be too sensitive because of the collateral blood flow, which brings some blood to the foot. We have been using a simple test that seems to be effective in defining graft patency. The impalpable dorsalis pedis or tibialis posterior pulse is located by means of the Doppler technique. Next, the femoro-popliteal bypass graft is compressed. . . No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.