Diagnosis of occlusive lesions of upper extremity arteries in patients with thromboangiitis obliterans.

The study accrued 84 patients suffering from thromboangiitis obliterans (TO) examined and treated at the A.V. Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery, RAMS, over the period 1988 to 2002. Based on the complaints on the part of the upper extremities the patients were distributed into four groups. Sixteen (19.1%) TO patients did not make any complaints on the part of the arms (degree I ischemia). Thirty-eight (45.2%) patients complained of numbness and paresthesia, chiefly of the tips of the fingers on both hands (degree II ischemia). Six (7.1%) persons complained of pains in the hands at physical exercise (decree III ischemia). Ulcers and necroses of the fingers were present in 24 (28.6%) patients (degree IV ischemia). The diagnostic procedures for arterial lesion of the upper extremities included laboratory investigations, duplex scanning of the great arteries, of the arteries of the hands, fingers and nail matrix, wide-field capillaroscopy, oxygen tension measurements, and angiography as well. Comparison of the clinical manifestations of arterial lesion of the upper extremities in TO patients to the data supplied by different research methods has revealed a direct correlation between the degree of ischemia and the pathomorphological as well as functional changes which increased as the ischemic syndrome was aggravated. As a result of the present work, there have been studied and systematized the criteria for the diagnosis of the degree of arterial lesion of the upper extremities in TO patients, based on the data, supplied by duplex scanning, capillaroscopy, measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension and angiography. In addition, there has been studied the role of the humoral component of immunity in the delineation of inflammatory activity in patients with TO.

[Pathogenesis and combined surgical treatment of the pyonecrotic diabetic foot]. / Voprosy patogeneza i taktiki kompleksnogo khirurgicheskogo lecheniia gnoino-nekroticheskikh form sindroma diabeticheskoi stopy.

Three hundred and fifteen patients with necrotic forms of diabetic foot were examined and treated. Neuropathic infected form of diabetic foot was diagnosed in 45.7% patients, neuro-ischemic form--in 54.3%. Mixed aerobic-anaerobic infection in foot's necrotic focus was detected in 87.6% diabetic patients, only aerobic--in 12.4%. High level of intoxication was seen in these patients. Algorithm of complex surgical treatment of different forms of diabetic foot is presented.

[Experience in the use of vessel due F (sulodexide) in patients with suppurative-necrotic forms of diabetic foot without critical ischemia]. / Opyt primeneniia Vessel dué F (sulodeksid) u bol'nykh s gnoino-nekroticheskimi formami diabeticheskoi stopy bez kriticheskoi ishemii.

AIM: To evaluate effectiveness of sulodexide in patients with pyonecrotic complications of diabetic foot. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Sulodexide was given to 15 patients which were examined for blood fibrinogen, foot tissues saturation with oxygen, microbic contamination of the wound tissue. In addition, ultrasound dopplerography of foot arteries, laser doppler flowmetry were performed. RESULTS: Fibrinogen in peripheral blood fell, arteriovenous shunting diminished, capillary blood flow and oxygen saturation of the tissues improved. CONCLUSION: Even early sulodexide treatment is effective at different stages of the pathological process in diabetic patients with severe pyonecrotic lesion of the lower limbs as it recovers microcirculatory blood flow.

[Substantiation and varieties of complex surgical treatment tactics for pyo-necrotic forms of diabetic foot]. / Obosnovanie i varianty taktiki kompleksnogo khirurgicheskogo lecheniia gnoino-nekroticheskikh form "diabeticheskoi stopy".

For the period from 1996 to 1998 in the Division of wounds and wound infection of A.V. Vishnevsky Institute of Surgery 92 patients with pyonecrotic forms of "diabetic foot" underwent thorough examination and treatment. The patients were divided into groups by the form of "diabetic foot": with pyonecrotic forms of "diabetic foot" without critical ischemia (group 1) and with it (group 2). In 18 patients of both groups the data of electron autoradiography were used to reveal peculiarities of the wound process. Group 1 patients had at admittance a large number of neutrophiles in various stages of destruction in biopsies of the wound. In patients of group 2 a great majority of the vessels in biopsies of the wound were in different stages of destruction with lost connections between their separate cells or some of their part absent. Separate cells (endotheliocytes and pericytes) which make up the walls of destroying vessels, were synthesizing RNA and were functionally active. In both groups, the studied parts of the wound before plastic repair of its defect usually represented as well developed granulation tissues with a number of microvessels and cells. Intensive synthesis of PNA in the cells of microvascular wall evidenced of their high functional activity, and the synthesis of DNA in them showed their ability for proliferation, i.g.--for growth. Thus, microangiopathy was reversible, and the solution of the problem of critical ischemia should be considered in the light of macroangiopathy. Thus, in patients of group 1 the cause of pyonecrotic damage consists in infection process, while in patients of group 2--in combination of infection with ischemia of the extremity. In both groups pyonecrotic disease of the extremity ruses at the background of severe disturbances of cellular immunity.

[Use of serotonin for treatment of patients with diabetic angiopathies]. / Primenenie serotonina dlia lecheniia bol'nykh s diabeticheskimi angiopatiiami.

In 26 patients (female 11, males--15) with diabetic angiopathy (necrosis of the foot or toes) local measurement of pO2 by transcutaneous mode was carried out before and during introduction of serotonine adipinate. Simultaneously with evaluation of pO2 in 14 patients electromyography (EMG) was made. Serotonine adipinate was introduced intravenously with a speed of 5.0-10.0 mg per hour. In this group mean age of the patients made up 57.4 years, mean values of initial pO2 25.6 mm Hg, and mean indices of pO2 at the moment of serotonine treatment 38.5 mm Hg. Average increase of pO2 during serotonine infusion was registered as 50.4% in comparison with mean initial data. In all 14 patients, who underwent simultaneous measurement of pO2 and registration of EMG, reinforcement of electrical activity of smooth muscles (SM) of various intensity and increase in tissue pO2 were detected. Improvement of microcirculation (increase of transcutaneous pO2, reinforcement of electrical activity of SM as a result of serotonine introduction) evidences that functional and morphological changes of serotonine receptors of SM are involead in genesis of diabetic angiopathy. The data obtained showed that in diabetes mellitus, besides insulin deficiency, insufficiency of such an endogenous factor as serotonine duclops. Thus, serotonin should be used for prophylaxis and treatment of diabetic angiopathies.