The role of omental transfer in Buerger's disease: New Delhi's experience.
BACKGROUND
Buerger's disease is a specific, idiopathic, recurrent, segmental, inflammatory, obliterative vascular disease involving medium-sized arteries and veins of the limbs. We performed omental transfer on a group of patients with Buerger's disease that had previously undergone lumbar sympathectomy and the results are described.


METHODS
Between January 1988 and December 1993, 100 cases of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) diagnosed as Buerger's Disease were subjected to femoral angiography. Fifty cases of angiographic intermediate/distal type blocks underwent omental transposition.


RESULTS
Of 50 patients subjected to omental transfer all had intermittent claudication, 40 had rest pain of whom 36 had non-healing ulcers, 8 had gangrene and 32 had bilateral lower limb involvement. Fifteen patients underwent bilateral omental transfer and posterior tibial artery biopsy was performed in 40. All patients showed improved skin temperature, rest pain decreased in 36 and claudication distance increased in 48. Ulcers healed in 32 of 36 patients and the line of demarcation receded in six of eight patients with gangrene.


CONCLUSIONS
Omental transfer improved skin and muscle microcirculation and forestalled the need for amputation by providing symptomatic relief and clinically arresting the progress of Buerger's disease. Omental transfer should be considered seriously as an alternative to other modalities of therapy to delay the ischaemic complications of Buerger's disease.
Singh
I
I
Department of Surgery, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India.
Ramteke
V K
VK
D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005734:Gangrene / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007511:Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008722:Methods; D009852:Omentum / Q000637:transplantation; D011859:Radiography; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*