[76 cases of thromboangitis obliterans]

In a group of 156 patients with arteriopathy, 87 (aged between 10 and 40 years) exhibited thromboangiitis obliterans and 9 (aged 40 to 50 years) arteritis of middle age, according to Van der Stricht's classification. The lesions of thromboangiitis obliterans have their onset in the distal arteries of the extremities and are frequently associated with hyperhidrosis and hypersympathicotonia. Marked clinical improvement may be obtained after treatment by lumbar sympathectomy combined with adrenalectomy and cessation of smoking. Tobacco appears to be a more important etiological factor than race : none of the patients in this group was a Jew. "Middle-age arteritis" involves primarily the femoral arteries and affects smokers in the first place. The same type of treatment has given less convincing results in these cases, owing possibly to a lack of sufficient experience with such techniques as endarteriectomy and grafting.