Objectives: Compare the results of surgical thrombectomy (ST) and catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) in the treatment of acute ischemia due to peripheral prosthetic bypass occlusion.
Methods: Retrospective single center analysis of the electronic clinical data on two groups of patients with acute lower limb ischemia due to prosthetic bypass occlusion: in one ST was performed (data collected between June-2006 ahd September-2011) and the other was treated with CDT Qui2 test (categorical variables) and independent samples t test (continuous variables) were used for comparisons between groups. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate rates of freedom from reintervention and limb salvage, with the Log Rank test used for comparisons.
Results: Twenty-six bypass were included in the ST group and 11 bypass were included in the CDT group. There were no statistically significan differences between groups regarding gender age and type of occluded bypass. The median time for freedom from reintervention was 275 days for the CDT group and three days for the ST group (p = 0.0029 when comparing survival curves). The median time for limb salvage was 468 days for the CDT group and 17 days for the ST group (p = 0.03 when comparing survival curves).
Conclusion: These results support the choice for CDT as the local first line therapy for acute ischemia due to bypass occlusion, despite the limitations arising from the sample size. The results of ST need to be urgently addressed.