[Principle of treatment of intermittent claudication due to arteriosclerosis obliterans--reconstruction or conservative treatment].
METHODS
Two hundred and one patients of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) with intermittent claudication (IC) were studied. Improvement of IC, score of return to social life, change of life condition and prognosis were compared between the two groups of reconstructive and conservative treatment.


RESULTS
Improvement of IC was seen in 88.0% of the patients in the group of reconstruction and only 30.4% in the conservative treatment group. In the reconstructive group, the score of return to social life improved from 2.10 to 1.31 and the score of life condition also improved from 2.71 to 1.66. However in the conservative treatment group these score showed no significant improvement. Moreover the long term mortality rate was lower in the treatment group of reconstruction.


CONCLUSIONS
The arterial reconstruction for IC is significant for improving the quality of life and exerts a favorable effect on life prognosis.
Hachiya
T
T
Second Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.
Kaneko
H
H
Shiraishi
A
A
Unno
N
N
Baba
S
S
Sakaguchi
S
S
Koyano
K
K
D000368:Aged; D017130:Angioplasty / Q000534:rehabilitation; D001162:Arteriosclerosis Obliterans / Q000150:complications*; D004691:Endarterectomy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life