Occlusive arterial disease in young patients

All the young patients (under 40 years) affected by occlusive arterial disease observed at the Istituto di Clinica Chirurgica II, University of Milan, during the last eleven years have been reviewed. About one third of these patients is affected by a form of arteritis; the others demonstrate the typical pattern of early atherosclerosis or an indeterminate condition which may represent an atherosclerotic complication superimposed on a basic arteritic lesion. The available therapeutic procedures are examined. They show that atherosclerotic disease more frequently permits a surgical reconstruction. The average rate of amputation is about the same in the two considered forms, ranging close to 7-8%. The 10 year follow up of these groups of young patients allowed us to analyze the rate of progression and evolution of these morbid conditions and the influence of the most important risk factors.     

Complications of spinal cord arteriography: prospective assessment of risk for diagnostic procedures

A prospective study was done of complications associated with 134 consecutive diagnostic spinal cord arteriograms in 96 patients (63 men and 33 women aged 17-78 years). Patients were examined for either arteriovenous malformation (n = 88) or tumor (n = 8), as indicated by myelography. Among the complications, 11 (8.2%) were local, five (3.7%) were systemic nonneurologic, and three (2.2%) were neurologic (two were associated with full recovery in less than 24 hours, and one was associated with full recovery in less than 1 week). No specific clinical or technical factors were significantly associated with the development of neurologic complications. Details of the clinical profile, angiographic technique, and pathologic findings for each patient were recorded and analyzed with respect to the potential risk for arteriographic complications. Diagnostic spinal cord arteriography had an acceptable risk within the range of other neuroangiographic diagnostic procedures.