title: Successful therapy of advanced arteriosclerosis obliterans with prostacyclin.
abstract: Five patients with advanced arteriosclerosis obliterans of the lower extremities, as evidenced by resting pain, ischaemic ulcers, and focal necrosis, received intra-arterial infusions of prostacyclin at doses of 5--10 ng/kg/min for 72 h. Within 2 days of termination of the infusion, pain at rest had disappeared in all patients. In three of the five, the necrosis had completely regressed and the ischaemic ulcers healed within 2 months. The other two patients showed considerable improvement. Prostacyclin therapy was not associated with changes in the radiographic appearance of the major blood-vessels. However, muscle blood-flow, as measured by xenon-133 clearance, was significantly increased both during prostacyclin infusion and for the 6 weeks of measurement after its termination.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001162:Arteriosclerosis Obliterans / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005263:Femoral Artery; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007261:Infusions, Intra-Arterial; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008124:Locomotion; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000098:blood supply; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D011453:Prostaglandins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D011453:Prostaglandins; D011464:Epoprostenol