[The best of vascular medicine in 2002]

During this year, cellular therapy with bone mononuclear cells of critical leg ischemia was demonstrated to be a new therapeutic approach in critical leg ischemia. This treatment, as well as gene therapy, is an important step forward in this pathology when there is no other therapeutic option. In venous thromboembolism, the usefulness of fibrinolytic therapy in severe pulmonary embolism associated with right ventricular dysfunction or pulmonary-artery hypertension was demonstrated. Fondaparinux appears also to be a promising agent for prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis. Finally, the publication of the WHI trial (Women Health Initiative) confirms the absence of any benefit of hormone replacement therapy in primary cardiovascular prevention.