Open AccessThe Anatomic Basis for the Occasional Failure of Transfemoral Balloon Catheter Thromboembolectomy
Author(s) -
David Short,
G. Dennis Vaughn,
Joseph A. Jachimczyk,
Michael W. Gallagher,
Raúl Garcı́a-Rinaldi
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
annals of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.153
H-Index - 309
eISSN - 1528-1140
pISSN - 0003-4932
DOI - 10.1097/00000658-197910000-00016
Subject(s) - medicine , popliteal artery , peroneal artery , embolectomy , catheter , anterior tibial artery , surgery , posterior tibial artery , balloon catheter , femoral artery , balloon , artery , cadaver , pulmonary embolism
A Fogarty balloon catheter was advanced from the common femoral artery through the popliteal artery and its branches in 15 cadavers. The catheter passed into the peroneal branch 89% of the time. In all 15 cadavers, the peroneal artery was the direct continuation of the popliteal artery and the arterior tibial and posterior tibial arteries branched off at varying angles from the popliteal. This provides an anatomic explanation for the occasional failure of transfemoral Fogarty catheter embolectomy of the leg. Our study suggests that if the patient's foot does not improve after Fogarty embolectomy, the popliteal artery should be exposed and the catheter directed into the shank arteries using vascular forceps.