A Clinical Study of Buerger's Disease

Sohn, Sung Keun; Park, Seung Rim; Kim, In Sang

Abstract

Beurgers disease is a specific, recurrent, segmental, inflammatory, obliterative vascular disease involving principally the medium sized arteries and veins of the extremities. The disease was originally described by Leo Beurger in 1908. The results in treatment were not satisfactory in spite of many interaction and experiencies in treatment. So the present study is clinical analysis of 136 cases of Beurgers disease, who were treated at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and General Surgery, Presbyterian Medical Center, for the past 12 years, from 1971 to 1982. The results obtained are as follows: Sex distribution was predominent in male(97.1%) and peak incidence in the fourth decade. One hundred twenty eight cases had smoked over 10 years and sixty percent had more than one operation previously because of the same disease. The most common symptom was pain in the extrimities, necrosis, skin color change and coldness were in that order of frequency. The lower extremities were more commonly involved. The most common site of obstruction at the arteriogram was the popliteal artery. Among the surgery cases, 20 of the sympathetomized patients had followed-up, and the long term result showed improvement in 17 cases and all the results of the vascular surgery were poor.