Arterio-venous shunting complicating occlusive atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease.
Three cases of severe occlusive peripheral vascular disease are described in which spontaneous arterio-venous fistulae at the site of atheromatous occlusion have been demonstrated by angiography during the arterial phase. Although none of these patients exhibited specific clinical signs of an arterio-venous fistula, this phenomenon is considered to have been a clinically significant factor in the patients' peripheral ischaemia. In one case both the superficial femoral artery stenosis and the spontaneous shunts were effectively treated by percutaneous angioplasty.
D000368:Aged; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001164:Arteriovenous Fistula / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005268:Femoral Vein / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography