[Intermittent thrombolytic treatment. Results during severe, chronic arterial diseases]

38 patients with severe chronic arteritis of the lower limbs were treated with streptokinase intermittently. All had been refused for surgical operation. One patient died, 4 others had early interruption of treatment. Eleven of the 38 patients had efficient thrombolysis confirmed by arteriography. The facts confirm the possibility of thrombolysis during chronic arterial disease. The fact that the aggravation was recent was favourable factor in prognosis. The eleven patients improved, had severe aggravation of symptomes for less than 2 months. Thus thrombolytic treatment has a place of choice in the treatment of severe arterial disease where surgery is impossible, or dangerous, owing to the uncertain state of the vascular bed below the lesion. Efficacious, it permits reconstructive surgery in cases where it had been at first refused. The use of intermittent treatment, apart from advantages of confort and cost, seems to increase the efficacy of treatment.