[Prognostic factors in Raynaud's phenomenon: usefulness of antinuclear antibodies and of periungual capillaroscopy]. / Fattori prognostici nel fenomeno di Raynaud: utilità degli anticorpi antinucleo e della capillaroscopia periungueale.

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and nailfold capillary microscopy have been evaluated as prognostic markers in patients with apparently idiopathic Raynaud's phenomenon. Results have shown that either ANA and peculiar alterations in nailfold capillaries are important risk factors as regard to the evolution into a connective tissue disease; furthermore, when both these markers are present in a patient with Raynaud's phenomenon, the risk of evolution is even greater. When sensibility and specificity have been compared, ANA appeared to be a more sensible test but nailfold capillary microscopy seemed to be more specific. Our data suggest that ANA and capillary microscopy are important tests in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon; they should be performed in order to identify those patients who are at greater risk of evolving to overt connective tissue disease.

Clinical-instrumental relationships in post-phlebitic syndrome.

981 lower limbs belonging to 829 subjects, 67.6% of which were females, have been examined. The average venous pressure at the tibial posterior vein was 101 +/- 12 mmHg and 102 +/- 13 mmHg on the internal saphenous vein. In 311 lower limbs with femoro-iliac thrombosis, venous pressures are slightly higher than in 670 lower limbs with calf veins occlusion. In the 44.4% of cases the phlebothrombosis was clearly dependent on traumas, deliveries, surgical operations or other conditions. The relationships between the supposed aetiopathogenesis of the affection and the pressure values have been examined. The 6.7% refers to phlebitis, which caused pulmonary embolism during their acute phase. The different objective and subjective symptoms have, furthermore, been taken into consideration. It has been noticed by the analysis of the diagrams of the pressure values in the time that the same values which are considerably high at the initial phase of the iliac postphlebitic syndrome, are always high in the following years. On the other hand, in postphlebitic syndrome of the leg those pressures whose value are not remarkably high in the initial phase, increase from the second to the fourth year after the arising of phlebitis and, finally become stable at fairly high values, but still lower than those of iliac syndrome. The venous orthostatic pressure of internal saphenous vein in the iliac postphlebitic syndrome was also found to exceed the deep pressures, likely because of the altered saphenous discharge at the cross level.

[Measuring venous pressure with the Doppler technic statistical data]. / Mesure de la pression veineuse avec le Doppler: données statistiques.

With reference to the measuring method suggested, we report the pressure indices noted in surgery, in order to compare them with those of non-surgical methods, using the Doppler. We also define some parameters for recording the measurements; failure to observe these might result in inaccuracy of the instrumental findings. We have to consider the index of maximum pressure to be attained using the pneumatic cuff, the lenght of time of compression, and the place at which the measurement is taken.

Noninvasive venous pressure measurements in different venous diseases. A new case collection.

We use from some years the doppler method for noninvasive measurements of venous pressure and about seven years ago we communicated the early results. We have confirmed the reliability and sensitivity of the method carrying on our clinical work. Now we report the results of a more extensive observation.

[Correlations between clinical stage and peripheral pressures in peripheral vascular diseases (author's transl)]. / Correlazioni tra stadio clinico e pressioni distali nelle vasculopatie periferiche.

The authors have studied 311 patients with arterial occlusive disease of the lower limbs. They have taken the arm pressure and the ankle pressure (A.P.) and have calculated the ankle/arm pressure index of Winsor (I.W.) in order to ascertain a relationship between peripheral pressure and clinical stage. The result is that both I.W. and A.P. are equally valuable to depict the different stages of the arterial occlusive disease.

[Does hypertension improve the prognosis in peripheral arterial disease?]. / L'ipertensione migliora la prognosi delle arteriopatie periferiche?

After an introduction about the importance or not of arterial hypertension as a risk factor arteriosclerosis of the lower limbs, wer report on a group of 193 patients affected by peripheral arteriopathy, divided for different class of systemic arterial pressure. We verified that the clinical development of the disease is better in the hypertensive subjects and in particular in the moderately hypertensive subjects (between 150 and 170 mmHg). It coincides with the clinical impression by which this research is born.