Importance of the profunda femoris upon patency following aortoiliac procedures.

OBJECTIVE: The importance of the profunda femoris for aortoiliac inflow procedure patency is well-recognized. We aim to quantify the characteristics of the profunda femoris and its relation to patency following aortoiliac inflow procedures. METHODS: Patients undergoing aortoiliac inflow procedures between 2009 and 2019 were identified. These were classified into aorto-bifemoral bypass (ABF), extra-anatomic bypass (EAB), femoral endarterectomy (FEA), and iliac stenting. Preoperative imaging characteristics of the profunda femoris were reviewed as well as outcomes. RESULTS: We performed 269 procedures in 202 patients. Of these, 162 were men (59.8%), with a mean age of 61 years (standard deviation, 11.45 years). A total of 123 patients (45.3%) presented with claudication, 69 (25.9%) with critical limb ischemia, and 30 (11.2%) with acute limb ischemia. Fifty patients (18.6%) underwent ABF, 44 (16.4%) underwent EAB, 57 (21.2%) underwent FEA, and 158 (58.7%) underwent iliac stenting. Fourteen patients (5.2%) underwent FEA plus iliac stenting. Fifty-two patients (19.2%) had an occluded superficial femoral artery. Twenty-four patients (8.9%) had additional outflow procedures performed during the index operation, including infrainguinal endovascular intervention in 10 patients (3.7%), infrainguinal bypass in 10 patients (3.7%), and femoropopliteal thrombectomy in 5 patients (1.9%). The mean follow-up was 17.5 months with overall 2-year primary patency (PP) of 79%. Two-year PP was 94.7% for FEA, 85.6% for ABF, 79.8% for iliac stents, and 62.5% for EAB. Unadjusted analysis revealed that loss of primary assisted patency was associated with active smoking (67.6% vs 48.6%; P = .035), lower creatinine (mean, 0.84 vs 1.06 mg/dL; P = .003), critical limb ischemia vs claudication (37.8% vs 21.4%; P = .037), and profunda femoris with fewer than five branches >2 mm in size (88.2% vs 68.5%; P = .011). Multivariate analysis confirmed that a profunda with five or more branches >2 mm in diameter was significantly associated with a lower risk of thrombosis (odds ratio, 0.30; P = .034). Size of the profunda greater than 6 mm approached statistical significance on univariate analysis (35% of the non-thrombosed vs 21% in the thrombosed; P = .073), but did not significantly affect risk of thrombosis on the multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 0.58; P = .25). The 2-year PP when all operations were considered was 76% compared with 72% for profunda with fewer than five branches > 2 mm. CONCLUSIONS: Anatomic characteristics of the profunda are associated with patency of inflow procedures. Care should be taken to assess the main profunda and branch diameters on preoperative imaging. A concomitant infrainguinal procedure should be considered in cases of profunda with inadequate large branches, to ensure long-term patency of the inflow operation.