title: Patency of the plantar arch as a prognostic indicator in patients with critical leg ischaemia; a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To find out if patency of the plantar arch on the preoperative angiogram was an accurate indicator of prognosis of vascular intervention, of leg salvage and of survival in patients with critical ischaemia of the leg.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  302 patients who underwent femoral angiography for critical ischaemia of the leg in 1985-1986.
  
  
  METHODS
  Examination of aortofemoral angiograms and scoring of the radiological changes according to a suggested scoring system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Correlation of scores with outcome.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with patent plantar arches had a significantly higher cumulative patency after vascular intervention (logrank chi 2 4.2, p < 0.05), leg salvage (logrank chi 2 11.9, p < 0.01) and significantly longer survival (logrank chi 2 7.8 p < 0.01) than patients with partly or completely occluded plantar arches.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is important to see the plantar arch on the preoperative angiogram. The scoring system is valuable in predicting patency after vascular intervention, leg salvage and survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Malmö General Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundell
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bergqvist
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cederholm
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014654:Vascular Patency