The Scottish School of Vascular Surgery
Seance of wednesday 19 march 2025 (Chirurgie Vasculaire)
DOI number : 10.26299/sn12-py17/2025.11.03
Abstract
Reconstructive vascular surgery began in 1912 at Glasgow Royal Infirmary when James Hogarth Pringle successfully removed a huge popliteal artery aneurysm and replaced it with an interposition vein graft. In a second patient he repaired an axillary artery occlusion with a vein graft. This was the same year that Carrel got the Nobel prize for vascular suturing in dogs.
However, reconstructive vascular surgery did not really start properly until after the Second World War. In the 1950s, the first aortic graft in the UK was performed by Mr William Reid at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and in the same operating room as Hogarth Pringle. He sewed in the tail of a shirt which he had just bought in London. It was changed into a tube graft by his theatre nurse using her land lady’s sewing machine, then sterilised overnight. A local man, Mr George Sergeant had a wonderful result.
The first pure and specialised vascular unit in the UK was formed in 1957 at the Royal. Surgery concentrated on proximal aortic grafts restoring the circulation into the profunda femoris artery.
In the 1960s chemical sympathectomy with aqueous phenol was pioneeered locally as an alternative to open surgical lumbar sympathectomy. This was used to treat thousands of patients.
In 1962 Mr Reid also performed the first cases of arterial thrombolysis in the world. They were successful and a beginning for endovascular surgery.
John Pollock was sent to work with Dr DeBakey and Denton Cooley in Houston. He became chief of the vascular unit a few years following his return. He also founded Vascutek (now TerumoAortic), advancing prosthetic vascular grafts - in a company which is now worldwide. Literally millions of patients have had John Pollock’s grafts implanted.
Mr Pollock renewed connections with the USA and specifically Dr Ted Diethrich at the Arizona Heart Institute in the 1990s. This led to much collaboration and a steady advancement of endovascular surgery.
One of Mr Reid’s sons Allan performed the first stent case and the first endovascular aortic aneurysm repair in the country. He also introduced magnetic resonance angiography to Scotland - which was much less invasive for the patients than conventional angiography.
I and my vascular surgical colleagues have benefited hugely from collaborating with Jacques Busquet for many years. The ‘Vieille Alliance’ between Scotland and France continues today in vascular surgery with advantage.
However, reconstructive vascular surgery did not really start properly until after the Second World War. In the 1950s, the first aortic graft in the UK was performed by Mr William Reid at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, and in the same operating room as Hogarth Pringle. He sewed in the tail of a shirt which he had just bought in London. It was changed into a tube graft by his theatre nurse using her land lady’s sewing machine, then sterilised overnight. A local man, Mr George Sergeant had a wonderful result.
The first pure and specialised vascular unit in the UK was formed in 1957 at the Royal. Surgery concentrated on proximal aortic grafts restoring the circulation into the profunda femoris artery.
In the 1960s chemical sympathectomy with aqueous phenol was pioneeered locally as an alternative to open surgical lumbar sympathectomy. This was used to treat thousands of patients.
In 1962 Mr Reid also performed the first cases of arterial thrombolysis in the world. They were successful and a beginning for endovascular surgery.
John Pollock was sent to work with Dr DeBakey and Denton Cooley in Houston. He became chief of the vascular unit a few years following his return. He also founded Vascutek (now TerumoAortic), advancing prosthetic vascular grafts - in a company which is now worldwide. Literally millions of patients have had John Pollock’s grafts implanted.
Mr Pollock renewed connections with the USA and specifically Dr Ted Diethrich at the Arizona Heart Institute in the 1990s. This led to much collaboration and a steady advancement of endovascular surgery.
One of Mr Reid’s sons Allan performed the first stent case and the first endovascular aortic aneurysm repair in the country. He also introduced magnetic resonance angiography to Scotland - which was much less invasive for the patients than conventional angiography.
I and my vascular surgical colleagues have benefited hugely from collaborating with Jacques Busquet for many years. The ‘Vieille Alliance’ between Scotland and France continues today in vascular surgery with advantage.