[Acute infrarenal aortic and bilateral pelvic artery occlusion]

Operations were performed on 75 cases of acute occlusion of the aorta and bilateral iliac arteries, between 1972 and 1987. The occlusions had been caused by embolisation in 48.6 per cent of these cases and by thrombosis in 31.4 per cent. Amputations had to be performed on 22 per cent, while the mortality rate at hospital amounted to 42.8 per cent. Surgical and anaesthetic risks were extremely high in 71 per cent of all patients. Complete ischaemia lasted more than six hours in 48 per cent. Intraoperative angioplasty was applied to twelve patients to control occlusion-induced stenoses and is believed to be capable of reducing hospital mortality.