Complex vascular injuries of lower limbs in children

Seventeen children sustained combined major arterial and venous injuries secondary to traffic accidents or farming-machines related injuries. The femoral artery and vein were most commonly injured (10 cases), followed by popliteal artery and vein (7 cases). All arterial and venous injuries were repaired by resecting the damaged vessels with interposition (10 cases) or bypass grafting (7 cases). All vascular repairs were patent at follow up (6 months -10 years). There was no evidence of deep venous thrombosis. By three patients with veno-venous bypass varicose veins developed. There were no disturbances in limb growth.