[Preoperative evaluation of superficial veins to be used in peripheral arterial revascularization surgery].

In this paper, the authors report their experience in the preoperative evaluation of the superficial veins of the lower limbs, using the color-coded Eco-Doppler, aimed at the evaluation of morphofunctional aspects of the veins, allowing an objective and reliable selection of the vein grafts to be used in peripheral arterial revascularization surgery. The advantages and disadvantages of the methodology are analysed and discussed, and they concluded by stating that the method can replace favourably the tradicional surgical exploration, avoiding the frequent unnecessary , unusefull or inconvenient surgical exploration for the veins assessment.

[Spinal cord ischemia after thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair].

In this paper, the author reviews the problematic around the spinal cord ischemic disfunction that sometimes occurs following the surgical management of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. After an anatomical review of the spinal cord vascularization, the diverse pathogenic mechanisms involved are described together with its importance and clinical significance, as well as the multiple procedures, techniques and pharmacotherapy employed nowadays aimed at lowering the occurrence of this most dramatic complication of thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm repair.

[Compartment syndrome].

The compartment syndrome is a common and severe clinical condition within the scope of peripheral vascular surgery and it is accompanied by a high risk of a limb loss or even the patients' death. Its etiology is linked to the acute limb ischemia or trauma and its management consists essentially in the descompressive fasciotomies, associated to diverse pharmacological agents with doubtful efficacy. The main features of this clinical entity and the criteria for therapeutic interventions are subjected to analysis and discussion.