The physiological aspects of the efficacy of reconstructive operations in arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities

Reconstructive operations in the aorto-iliac and femoro-popliteal segments were performed on 281 patients with obliterating atherosclerosis. An attentive examination of the patients in the nearest postoperative period and within the first 5 years has shown different efficiency of the operation in different patients. Favorable changes took place in regional hemodynamics, while disturbances retained in microcirculation and function of the extremity. Another cause of insufficient efficiency of the interventions was an initial stable suppression of tissue respiration and oxygen utilization in the extremity tissues. The dynamics was positive during a year followed after that by new symptoms of progressing disease.