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Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger’s Disease)

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Peripheral Arterial Disease

Part of the book series: Contemporary Cardiology ((CONCARD))

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Abstract

Felix von Winiwater described the first case of thromboangiitis obliterans in 1879 (1). A 57-yr-old man had a 12-yr history of foot pain resulting in gangrene leading to amputation. On examination of the amputated specimen, there were endarteritis and endophlebitis that were distinct from atherosclerosis (1). Twenty-nine years later, Leo Buerger described the pathology in 11 amputated limbs and called this disease “thromboangiitis obliterans,” which later became more commonly know as Buerger’s disease (2). The pathological description in 1908 was so accurate and detailed that little has been added over the last century.

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  1. Jeffrey W. Olin DO
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  1. Department of Medicine, Boston University Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA

    Jay D. Coffman MD  & Robert T. Eberhardt MD  & 

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Olin, J.W. (2003). Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger’s Disease). In: Coffman, J.D., Eberhardt, R.T. (eds) Peripheral Arterial Disease. Contemporary Cardiology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-331-6_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-331-6_18

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