Abstract
Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease: Non-Drug Measures
The therapeutic management of patients with peripheral arterial disease relies initially on the assessment of the severity of arterial insufficiency. At this stage, measurement of ankle systolic pressure plays a particularly important role, and is an essential part of the clinical examination. When the severity of ischaemia jeopardises the survival of a limb, the limitations associated with medical treatment clearly justify all steps being taken to enable the patient to benefit from revascularisation. In this often fragile host environment, endovascular techniques play an important part. As first-line procedures, they have a place within a multidisciplinary management approach, particularly since further surgical procedures, such as distal bypass, often prove necessary. For patients at the intermittent claudication stage, treatment indications become more complex. They include the functional repercussions of peripheral arterial occlusive disease and the cardiovascular prognosis for the patient, which is determined by assessing the extent of the arterial disease. Ultrasonography provides a topographical evaluation of the lesions and their haemodynamic repercussions. This investigation is crucial for screening patients who present with a lesion that may be appropriate for endovascular surgery. Ultrasonography is often programmed at the same time as arteriography. For patients with intermittent claudication, surgical revascularisation is considered only after a minimum 3-month period of medical treatment, for those who have significant functional impairment. In some instances, ultra-sonographic evaluation, or even arteriography, may reveal lesions associated with a real risk of deterioration, such as arterial or popliteal aneurysm, and this constitutes the basis of the indication. The development of endovascular techniques has broadened the indications for surgical revascularisation to include patients with intermittent claudication. As a result, there has been a radical change with regard to the management of these patients, limiting the number for whom medical treatment is the only feasible solution.
Résumé
La prise en charge thérapeutique des patients souffrant d’une artériopathie oblitérante est d’abord dépendante de la topographie des lésions et du retentissement de l’artériopathie sur la qualité de vie. Elle doit également prendre en compte le pronostic lié aux autres localisations de la maladie athéroscléreuse. C’est dire que toute décision thérapeutique repose sur une démarche diagnostique qui précise la sévérité de l’ischémic et son retentissement fonctionnel mais aussi la diffusion de la maladie artérielle tant au niveau des membres inférieurs que dans les autres territoires artériels.
Similar content being viewed by others
Références
Weitz JI, Byrne J, Clagett GP, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower extremities: a critical review. Circulation 1996; 94: 3026–49
European working group on critical leg ischemia. Second European consensus document on chronic critical leg ischemia. Circulation 1991; 84 Suppl. IV: 1–26
Wutschert R, Bounameaux H. Determination of amputation level in ischemic limbs: reappraisal of the measurement of TcPo2. Diabetes Care 1997; 20: 1315–8
Criqui MH, Langer RD, Fronek A, et al. Mortality over a period of 10 years in patients with peripheral arterial disease. N Engl J Med 1992; 326: 381–6
Vray M, Chwalow J, Charansonney O, et al. National study of obliterative arterial disease of the lower limbs involving general practitioners in France: Artemio study. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1995; 25: S51–7
Baron JF, Mundler O, Bertrand M, et al. Dipyridamole-thallium scintigraphy and gated radionuclide angiography to assess cardiac risk before abdominal aortic surgery. N Engl J Med 1994; 330: 663–9
Eagle KA, Coley CM, Newell BA, et al. Combining clinical and thallium data optimizes preoperative assessment of cardiac risk before major vascular surgery. Ann Intern Med 1989; 110: 859–66
Schueppert MT, Kresowik TF, Corry DC, et al. Selection of patients for cardiac evaluation before peripheral vascular operations. J Vasc Surg 1996; 23: 802–8
Wolf YG, Otis SM, Schwend RB, et al. Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms during lower extremity arterial evaluation in the vascular laboratory. J Vasc Surg 1995; 22: 417–23
Myers KA, King RB, Scott DF, et al. The effect of smoking on the late patency of arterial reconstructions in the legs. Br J Surg 1978; 65: 267–71
Fiessinger JN. Thrombotic complications of polycythemia: the venous and arterial risk factors. Nouv Rev Fr Hematol 1994; 36: 179–81
Lecerf V, Alhenc-Gelas M, Laurian C, et al. Antiphospholipid antibodies and atherosclerosis. Am J Med 1992; 92: 575–6
Holm J, Arfvidsson B, Jivegard L, et al. Chronic lower limb ischaemia. A prospective randomised controlled study comparing the 1-year results of vascular surgery and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). Eur J Vasc Surg 1991; 5: 517–22
Jeans WD, Cole SEA, Horrocks M, et al. Angioplasty gives good results in critical lower limb ischaemia — a 5-year follow-up in patients with known ankle pressure and diabetic status having femoropopliteal dilatations. Br J Radiol 1994; 67: 123–8
Tunis SR, Bass EB, Steinberg EP. The use of angioplasty, bypass surgery, and amputation in the management of peripheral vascular disease. N Engl J Med 1991; 325: 556–62
Pell JP, Whyman MR, Fowkes FGR, et al. Trends in vascular surgery since the introduction of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. Br J Surg 1994; 81: 832–5
Johnston KW. Iliac arteries: reanalysis of results of balloon angioplasty. Radiology 1993; 186: 207–12
Johnston KW. Femoral and popliteal arteries: reanalysis of results of balloon angioplasty. Radiology 1992; 183: 767–71
Sapoval MR, Chatellier G, Long A, et al. Self-expandable stents for the treatment of iliac artery obstructive lesions: long-term success and prognostic factors. Am J Roentgenol 1996; 166: 1173–9
Sapoval MR, Long AL, Raynaud AC, et al. Femoropopliteal stent placement: long-term results. Radiology 1992; 184: 833–40
Creasy TS, McMillan PJ, Fletcher EWL, et al. Is percutaneous transluminal angioplasty better than exercise for claudication? Preliminary results from a prospective randomised trial. Eur J Vasc Surg 1990; 4: 135–40
Fiessinger JN. Occlusion courte de l’artère fémorale superficielle: plaidoyer pour le traitement médical. J Mal Vasc 1994; 19: 147–9
Gayral M, Duchemin J-F, Cavillon A, et al. Traitement chirurgical des artériopathies scléreuses des membres inférieurs. Rev Prat [Paris] 1995; 45: 75–81
Sapoval M, Beyssen B, Long A, et al. Les endoprothèses couvertes en pathologie artérielle: un nouveau concept pour de nouvelles indications. Sang Thromb Vaiss 1994; 6: 261–8
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fiessinger, J. Stratégies diagnostiques et thérapeutiques dans l’artériopathie oblitérante des membres inférieurs hors traitement médical. Drugs 56 (Suppl 3), 11–16 (1998). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-199856003-00002
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-199856003-00002