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Aortic aneurysms as late sequelae of above-knee amputation
J F Vollmar1, E Paes, P Pauschinger
1Department of Vascular, Thoracic, and Cardiac Surgery, University of Ulm/Donau, West Germany.
Lancet (London, England)
|October 7, 1989
Abstract:
The infrarenal aorta was examined by ultrasound in 329 men who had lost a leg in World War II and in 702 war veterans. The groups were similar in terms of age and risk factors for arteriosclerosis. Abdominal aortic aneurysms were found in 5.8% of the amputees compared with 1.1% of the non-amputees. Unilateral flow reduction after leg amputation causes an asymmetrical flow pattern at the aortic bifurcation, and this is probably the main cause of late damage to the aorta.