[Buerger's disease and juvenile arteriopathy. Analysis and classification based on a series of 127 cases]

The prevalence and even the existence of Buerger's disease or thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) are still ill-defined. The analysis of a continuous series of 127 young patients with obstructive arterial disease of the lower limbs (mean follow-up 67.7 months, lost to follow-up 13.8%) allows the evaluation of the clinical, radiological and evolutive characteristics of the patients. The positive diagnosis of TAO relies upon the four usual criteria: onset of the disease before 40, no other vascular risk factor than smoking, popliteal or infra-popliteal arterial lesions, migrant superficial thrombosis. The patients are classified in 4 groups: Group I: undisputed TAO, presence of all the criteria, 13 cases (10.2%). Group II: probable TAO, presence of three criteria (no history of superficial thrombophlebitis), 19 cases (14.9%). Group III: tobacco-related atheroma, presence of two criteria (age under 40, no other risk factor than smoking), supra-popliteal lesions, 17 cases (13.4%). Group IV: precocious atheroma, presence of one criterium (age under 40), other risk factors, indifferent level of the arterial lesions, 78 cases (61.4%). The statistical analysis relies upon the comparison of the mean values for measurable parameters (Student-Fisher), for frequencies and percentages (Chi 2 Yates-Fisher) and upon a step by step discriminant analysis between groups I and IV, groups I and II and groups III and IV. The level of significance is 5%. The analysis points to two fundamental results: There is no significant difference either between groups I and II or between groups III and IV. Groups I and IV are significantly different for a lot of clinical, radiological and evolutive criteria.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)