Atherosclerosis obliterans is a common disease in white communities, and the arteries to the lower limbs are frequently involved. The profunda femoris artery, however, is less commonly obstructed than the other lower-limb vessels. The profunda femoris artery supplies the large muscles of the thigh and has many major side branches; on the other than, the superficial femoral artery is a conducting artery, whose side branches are relatively few and small in caliber.1 If the superficial femoral artery becomes blocked, the deep femoral artery is capable of supplying an effective collateral bed. There is a growing conviction among some vascular surgeons that restoration of full function of the deep femoral artery will render symptom-free many limbs that have suffered complete occlusion of the superficial femoral artery.1-6 It has been our own impression for some years that arteriographically demonstrable atherosclerotic change in the deep femoral artery is associated with more severe