Objective: Hyperhomocysteinemia has been identified as a risk factor for (cardio)vascular disease. Whether hyperhomocysteinemia contributes to graft failure after peripheral bypass surgery remains unclear. The present study evaluated the influence of hyperhomocysteinemia on graft patency after infrainguinal bypass surgery.
Design: The present study was designed as a nested case-control study.
Method: In this study (nested in the Dutch Bypass Oral anticoagulants or Aspirin Study), 150 patients with graft occlusion were each matched with two randomly selected controls with patent grafts (N = 299) from the same trial. Venous blood samples were drawn from cases and controls, and total plasma homocysteine (tHcy) was determined. Mean serum homocysteine levels and the presence of hyperhomocysteinemia (>95th percentile in healthy individuals) were compared between cases and controls.
Results: No significant differences were found between serum levels of homocysteine in patients with and without graft occlusion. The mean plasma homocysteine levels were 14.4 micromol/L and 14.9 micromol/L in the case and control groups, respectively. The resulting mean difference was -0.4 (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.8-0.9). The odds ratio of hyperhomocysteinemia was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.49-1.33). Adjustment for risk factors of graft occlusion did not change these results.
Conclusions: Postoperative raised serum levels of homocysteine proved not to be a risk factor for graft occlusion after infrainguinal bypass grafting.