[Acute ischemia of the fingers]

Chronic vascular insufficiency of the fingers may turn in acute ischemia with cold. The authors report three cases. The first patient showed on his forefinger a distal thrombosis of the ulnar collateral artery and a very thin radial collateral artery. The second patient has interruption of both indicis collateral arteries. The third patient presented an ischemic fifth finger secondary to a distal ulnar artery stenosis. All of the patients complained of pain, numbness, cyanosis or necrosis of the tip aggravated by cold. Laboratory and vascular investigations included digital Allen Test, plethysmography, Doppler examination, axillary block and angiography. The cause may be local and easily cured by surgery, but sometimes the vasospastic component is predominant. If stopping smoking, vasodilators and calcium-inhibitors are ineffective, Flatt has proposed distal digital artery sympathectomy.