[Ischemic diseases of the lower limbs]

Abstract

On the material of 200 necropsies and 230 surgically amputated lower extremities in patients with an acute obstruction of the main arteries as well as the study of the limb muscles in the appropriate experimental models, the principal rules and the pathogenesis of the muscle damage in the ischemic disease of the lower extremities (IDLE) are described. Four clinico-anatomical variants of the acute IDLE are distinguished: (1) diffuse degenerative-necrotic muscle damage; (2) large-focal necrosis; (3) massive isolated necrosis of single muscles; (4) limb gangrene. Grave general and local somatic background in a patient, causes of death and role of the IDLE in thanatogenesis are characterized.