Buergers Disease

Thromboangiitis Obliterans (Buerger’s Disease)

* Recurring inflammation of the small and medium-sized arteries and veins of the upper and lower extremities that results in thrombus formation and occlusion of vessels

* Incidence and etiology

* Most often in men between 20 and 40 yrs old

* Risk factors: family history of disease, cigarette smoking

* Clinical Manifestations

* Small and medium-sized arteries and veins are affected in a segmental fashion

* Acute lesions form with proliferation of the intima and thrombosis

* In later stages, lesions become less cellular and turn into a dense scar

* Commonly, lesions of varying stages of progression can be seen in the same vessel

* Pain, most common symptom, present in 1 or more digits

* Superficial thrombophlebitis is commonly seen in affected extremity before arterial symptoms appear

* Pain is accompanied by signs of ischemia (color or temperature changes)

* Numbness and tingling of extremities is a result of ischemic neuropathy

* Occlusion of distal arteries of the upper and lower extremities develop spontaneously or as result of trauma

* Secondary infection of the ulcer sire with partial amputation is unusual

* Edema of the foot is common

* Pulses in distal limbs (radial, ulnar, dorsalis pedis, posterior tibial arteries)are diminished or absent

* Diagnostics:

* Arteriography/angiography: a technique injecting of contrast media into the vascular system to outline the heart and blood vessels. It become selective arteriography / angiography when a particular heart chamber or blood vessel is singled out for study. It makes use of cineangiograms, a series of rapidly changing films or movies on an intensified fluoroscopic screen that records the passage of the contrast medium through the vascular site(s). Common selective angiography sites: aorta, coronary arteries,...