[Polyvascular patients. Retrospective study of 4200 vascular patients operated on between 1980 and 1986]

Polyvascular patients. Among a consecutive series of 4200 patients submitted to vascular surgery, a group of 292 people operated on, in at least two anatomically and physiologically different sites, is individualized as polyvascular patients. A subgroup is characterized by simultaneous procedures in two separated fields; 32 have benefited in the same time from carotid and coronary procedures, i.e., 0.6% of all coronary patients and 2% of all carotid patients. The carotid-coronary group exhibited a more severe anatomical disease both in the carotid and the coronary vasculatures. Apart from simultaneously operated patients, others were sequentially treated over a 7 years period: people with carotid (25%) or visceral (40%) arterial disease were more prone to become polyvascular. Polyvascular patients differ from monovascular patients in that hypertension is more frequent and more severe, mean cholesterol level higher and incidence of severe hypercholesterolemia more frequent.