Vascular Surgical Procedures

To bypass the blocked blood vessel, blood is either redirected through a transplanted healthy blood vessel, or a man-made graft material is sewn to the existing artery and blood is rerouted through it.

Prior to surgery, the doctor will determine what type of material is best suited to bypass the blood vessel. Whenever possible, the surgeon will choose to use an existing piece of vein taken from the same leg. Man-made graft materials (such as polytetrafluoroethyline [PTFE] or Dacron) are more likely to become narrowed again, but they are still effective.

The section of vein or man-made blood vessel is sewn onto both the femoral and popliteal arteries so that blood can travel through the new graft vessel and around the existing blockage(s). See an illustration of a femoropopliteal (fem-pop) bypass .