Surgeons demonstrate potential genetic basis for varying outcomes of leg vein bypass surgery

Vascular Cures, a leading non-profit investing in research to develop breakthrough treatments for vascular disease, announced results that indicate there may be a genetic basis for the varying outcomes of bypass surgery in the legs. Results were presented today by Michael S. Conte, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco in a late-breaking clinical trial session at the 2011 Society for Vascular Surgery Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Bypass surgery, angioplasty and stents are all used to treat blockages caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD). Current estimates are that more than 8 million Americans have PAD, a condition that can produce severe disability and lead to amputation. Hundreds of thousands of procedures are performed each year in the US to improve leg circulation in patients suffering from PAD, yet up to half of these fail within a few years due to excessive scarring that leads to reduced blood flow. The reasons for the variability in the outcome of PAD treatments have been poorly understood.

Led by vascular surgeons Dr. Conte and Alec Clowes, M.D. at the University of Washington, the team demonstrated a potential genetic basis for why some patients experience blockage of their bypass grafts faster and more frequently than others.

"The results of this study, together with similar findings in a Dutch study of patients who underwent coronary stent angioplasty (van Tiel et al, 2009), strongly support the hypothesis that the formation of scar tissue in blood vessels is genetically regulated by the gene p27," stated Dr. Conte.

Dr. Conte is Chief of UCSF's Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and Chief Medical Officer of Vascular Cures. Dr. Clowes is Professor of Surgery at the University of Washington and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Surgery.

"These studies represent a major breakthrough in our understanding of arteries closing after angioplasty and bypass grafting," added Dr. Clowes. "More importantly, they may help us identify patients at increased risk of treatment failures. These results may also accelerate drug development to prevent renarrowing of vascular reconstructions."