| Summary: | Of all the developing fields of surgery, few have had the impact of vascular surgery in affecting so large a section of the population by offering the potential relief of disability and the prolongation of life. As would be anticipated, the interest of surgeons in this evolving specialty has largely been focused upon the selection of the most appropriate operations and the development of modifi cations or new procedures that overcome the limitations of previous ones. The literature contains numerous conflicting claims about the relative merits of various procedures, and those aPlJoaching this field for the first time may understandably be confused. Yet, if one were to approach any single vascular surgeon at any given time, he would upon request be given a firm and precise listing of preferred procedures. The procedures described in this two-volume publication are those that we currently favor. Their selection is the result of continuing analyses of our own experience during the past 30 years. All patients have been available for prolonged follow-up evaluation. Late failures often helped us to identify techniques that lessened the durability of an initially satisfactory operation, and they became a stimulus for the development of modifications or trials with alternative operations. Particular attention is directed to the manner in which knowledge of the natural history of disease influences the choice of operations.
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