Vascular reconstruction using autologous vs synthetic graft for patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcoma involving the major vessels

Limb Salvage Surgery in a Rare Case of Recurrent Parosteal Osteosarcoma with Vascular Graft Thrombosis

Recurrent parosteal sarcomas with vascular involvement are rare and present unique challenges in their diagnosis and management. We report the case of a 21-year-old woman with parosteal osteosarcoma of the left distal femur, encasing the popliteal vessels. En bloc transarticular resection of the distal femur and popliteal vessels was performed, followed by reconstruction using a modular prosthesis and a saphenous vein autograft for both the artery and vein. On the 1st postoperative day, the patient developed an arterial thrombus requiring reintervention with a jump polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft. Histopathology confirmed parosteal osteosarcoma. After a disease-free survival of 41 months, the patient experienced local recurrence involving the PTFE graft, leading to graft compression, erosion, and subsequent thrombosis. Despite these complications, limb salvage was possible due to adequate collateral blood supply. This case highlights the feasibility of limb salvage surgery in select cases of parosteal osteosarcoma with vascular involvement.

Clinical outcomes after vascular reconstruction using synthetic grafts for limb salvage in patients with lower extremity sarcoma: a single-center retrospective experience

Introduction

Limb-salvage surgery has become the mainstream approaches for the treatment of sarcoma in the lower extremity. In cases where the sarcoma infiltrates the primary vessel, concurrent resection of the vessels and vascular reconstruction are required to ensure sufficient resection and preservation of limb function. The objective of this study is to assess the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent vascular reconstruction utilizing synthetic grafts for limb salvage, specifically in terms of postoperative complications and limb functional status.

Methods

Between September 2016 and October 2021, 15 consecutive patients who underwent 15 arterial and 3 venous reconstruction procedures were included in this retrospective study. Incidence of postoperative morbidity, graft patency, rate of limb salvage, and overall survival of patients were analyzed.

Results

The median follow-up was 12.5 months (range, 4.5-72.0). Graft thrombosis occurred in 5 patients (33.3%) and graft occlusion occurred in 3 patients (20.0%). The median overall survival was 28.0 months with the estimated 2-year and 5-year overall survival of 57.8% and 43.4% respectively. The 1-year and 2-year estimated patency rates of arterial reconstructions were 82.3% and 62.1%, respectively. None of the included patients with limb amputation were observed as a consequence of severe vascular complications, while two patients underwent amputation due to the repeat recurrence, resulting in a limb salvage rate of 86.7%.

Conclusion

Our results show that the combination of vascular reconstruction and oncologic resection is a feasible option for preserving limbs in cases of musculoskeletal sarcoma with vessel involvement in the lower extremity. When vascular reconstruction surgery is performed, synthetic substitutes can be effectively used with low perioperative morbidity and an acceptable rate of limb salvage.

Venous Reconstruction in Extremity Soft Tissue Sarcoma Is Not Essential

OBJECTIVE

Limb salvage is an important concern following complete oncologic resection for extremity soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Vascular reconstruction is essential for limb salvage. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of vascular reconstruction in patients with extremity STS.

METHODS

This is a retrospective, multi-center, case series of consecutive patients who underwent vascular reconstruction during extremity STS resection at 2 major centers in Korea. Demographics, reconstruction methods, type of conduit, surgical complications, graft patency, limb salvage rate, and patient survival were reviewed.

RESULTS

From March 2005 to December 2020, 43 patients underwent vascular reconstructions during STS resection. Among the patients, 22 (51.2%) received arterial only, and 21 (48.8%) received simultaneous arterial and venous reconstructions. For the types of conduits, autologous saphenous veins (56.2%), artificial grafts (26.3%), and cryopreserved allografts (15.8%) were used. During a median follow-up of 23.8 months (interquartile range; 7.7-54.5), the overall primary patency of the reconstructed vessels was significantly higher in arteries than in veins (82.5% vs 56.3% at 12 months, P < .001). According to the type of conduit, the primary patency rate of autogenous vein seemed higher in venous reconstruction, however, there was no statistical significance in both arterial and venous reconstruction. There was no significant difference in primary arterial patency rate (P = .132) or incidence of surgical complications including postoperative edema or wound problem whether or not simultaneous venous reconstruction was performed with arterial reconstruction. The overall limb salvage rate and patient survival were 97.4%, 95.1%, and 89.4% and 91.9%, 81.7%, and 65.4% at 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Patency rates were poorer in venous reconstruction than in arterial reconstruction. In terms of arterial patency and postoperative complication, the role of simultaneous arterial and venous reconstruction seems not essential, however, it needs to be evaluated in future studies.