Fluoropolymer-coated Dacron Versus PTFE Grafts for Femorofemoral Crossover Bypass: Randomised Trial

To investigate whether patency of a thin walled 8 mm fluoropassivated Dacron graft was similar to that of a standard 8 mm PTFE graft for femorofemoral crossover bypass surgery. A randomised multicentre clinical trial comparing two vascular grafts with participation of 10 departments of vascular surgery in Denmark, Sweden and Norway. 198 patients were randomised to PTFE ( n = 107) or fluoropolymer-coated Dacron grafts ( n = 91), 63% underwent surgery for claudication, 27% for ischaemic rest pain and 10% for tissue loss. The median follow-up time was 24 months (IQR 19–26 months). The primary patency rate of the two grafts was similar (log rank test: p = 0.35). The primary patency rates (95% CI) for coated Dacron and PTFE grafts were 92% (86–98) and 94% (89–99) at 12 months and 87% (74–95) and 93% (87–99) at 24 months, respectively. In patients with unilateral iliac artery disease not amenable to angioplasty, the femoral-femoral bypass is durable and effective. No difference in patency was found between the two graft materials (fluoropolymer coated Dacron and PTFE).