[Lumbar sympathectomy for arteritis. A reliable and (almost) seventy year-old technique]

The old procedure of lumbar sympathectomy has long been the only chance of avoiding amputation for arteritic patients. Its field of application has shifted as reconstructive surgery and medical therapy made progress, and it is no longer the only solution and has more precise indications. Proper evaluation of its chances of success according to the individual situations allows establishing its potential and limitations. This simple procedure, entailing no risk for the future, deserves remaining among the available means for the treatment of arteritis, despite its age.