An aortobifemoral (say "ay-OR-toh-by-FEM-uh-ruhl") bypass is surgery to redirect blood flow around narrowed or blocked blood vessels in your belly or pelvis. Your doctor will use a human-made blood vessel, called a graft, to bypass the narrowed or blocked blood vessels. These diseased blood vessels are caused by peripheral arterial disease. The surgery is done to get more blood flow to the legs.
Aortobifemoral bypass surgery is for people who have narrowed or blocked blood vessels (aorta or iliac arteries) in the abdomen and pelvis. Usually the disease must be causing significant symptoms or be limb-threatening before bypass surgery is considered.
You will be asleep during the surgery.
The doctor will make cuts (incisions) in your belly and in the groin area of each thigh. The doctor will connect the graft to the aorta through the cut in the belly. The doctor will then tunnel the graft down to the cuts in your groin. This connects the bypass to your femoral arteries.
When the graft is in place, the doctor will close the cuts in your skin with stitches or staples.
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