Recanalization of chronic arterial occlusions: low-speed rotational angioplasty. 5 years experience in peripheral and coronary vessels.

Chronic complete occlusions still represent the major technical limitation of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, both in peripheral and coronary vessels. The clinical use of low-speed rotational angioplasty started in 1986 for the peripheral and in 1987 for the coronary arteries, and has already become part of the clinical routine in several centres. Up to now more than 350 patients with peripheral and 250 patients with coronary occlusions have been treated in Frankfurt; a multicentre questionnaire already contains information about 1,252 patients with peripheral vessel obstructions.

[Antibiotic concentrations after intravenous and retrograde intravenous injections].

In patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease, it is difficult to attain an adequate antibiotic concentration in poorly perfused infected lesions. The antibiotic concentrations prevailing in the ulcer secretion with the different routes of administration were investigated in 7 patients. The patients received 1 g of cefotaxim on consecutive days: intravenously on the first day, intraarterially on the second day and by retrograde venous injection on the third day.

[Behavior of post-occlusion systolic blood pressure after long duration blockade. Effect of induced hypertension].

A suprasystolic blockade (300 mm Hg) was applied for 50 to 60 min to the thigh of the affected leg with a blood pressure cuff in 13 patients with occlusions of the femoral artery. Afterwards, the pre-postocclusive systolic pressure difference was clearly less in most patients than before the compression manoeuvre. This reduction of the systolic pressure gradient, which was greatest in the first hour and slowly decreased in subsequent days, is likely to be based on a dilatation of the collateral arteries.

[Effect of transient therapeutic occlusion on some hemodynamic parameters and walking distance].

The effect of a one hour lasting occlusion was studied by recording the ankle/arm pressure ratios at rest and during post-occlusive reactive hyperemia 30 min, 1 day, 3 days and 7 days after the procedure. Both parameters improved, reaching a maximum on the 7th day at which time the changes became statistically significant. Finally, a standardized walking distance test yielded a highly significant improvement when determined on the 7th day (mean increase in walking distance: 69%).

[Gingko biloba extract EGb 761 and pentoxifylline in intermittent claudication. Secondary analysis of the clinical effectiveness].

Clinical trials on the efficacy of EGb 761 and pentoxifylline are summarized in the context of their methods and results and compared with each other. All placebo-controlled, randomized and double-blind studies with the major target objective of "pain-free walking distance" were selected. The pentoxifylline studies were adopted from a survey of the existing literature in the English language, which has been brought up to date via DIMDI research.