[Acute symmetric polygangrene of the extremities]

The authors stress the importance, in acute symmetric polygangrene of the extremities, of systemic disease accompanied by decreased perfusion with its physicochemical consequences on parietal structures and the liquid contents of vessels and tissues developing rapidly in the extremities. In the first chapter, they recall the various aetiologies proposed in the literature. They then describe 3 personal case studies which they have chosen for their extreme age range and their varying aetiology. They present the various pathogenic factors which can occur either in isolation or in combination: parietal factors, abnormalities of the various elements of the blood, plasma factors, all of which are responsible for rheological disturbances which, when combined with decreased perfusion, lead to the development of gangrene. Finally, they present their ideas about treatment which sould be a function of the aetiology and the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis.