Editor's Choice – Endovascular Versus Surgical Treatment for All Comer Patients With Prosthetic Bypass Graft Occlusion: The Multicentre ENSUPRO Study

Objective: Bypass surgery plays a key role in complex lower limb lesions. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the management of symptomatic prosthetic bypass graft (PBG) occlusion. This study aimed to report outcomes following open, hybrid, or endovascular management of patients presenting with symptomatic PBG occlusion. Methods: A multicentre, retrospective cohort study was conducted, including patients presenting with PBG occlusion between January 2014 and December 2021 from 18 centres. It assessed the comparative value of treatment strategies, including (1) recanalisation of native vessels, (2) endovascular treatment of the failed PBG, (3) hybrid treatment, and (4) open surgery. The primary outcome measure was amputation free survival (AFS, time to major amputation and or death), whereas all cause mortality, major amputation, PBG re-occlusion, target lesion revascularisation (TLR), and Rutherford category (RC) improvement during follow up were considered as secondary endpoints. Results: Of 260 patients with occluded PBGs, 108 (41.5%) were treated endovascularly (24 [22.2%] by recanalisation of native vessels and 84 [77.7%] by PBG re-opening), 57 (21.9%) underwent hybrid revascularisation, and 58 (22.3%) had surgery. In addition, 27 (10.4%) were treated conservatively and 10 (3.8%) received systemic thrombolysis. With a median follow up of 1.4 (0.6 – 3.0) years, AFS was 95.5%, 76.4%, 45.5%, and 37.1%, respectively in Groups 1 – 4 (p =.007). Older age and non-endovascular treatment (HR 1.05 and 1.70; p <.01 for both) were independent predictors of poor AFS. Endovascular treatment was associated with lower rates of major amputation (p =.04), PBG re-occlusion (p <.001), and TLR (p =.037), and higher RC improvements (p <.001), whereas all cause mortality was comparable between treatment groups (p =.21). Conclusion: Endovascular treatment is associated with higher rates of AFS and RC improvement and lower rates of PBG re-occlusion and TLR in patients with PBG occlusion.