A 38-year-old male smoker with gangrenous changes in the toes of both feet has an arteriogram showing normal vessels to the popliteal trifurcation and multiple occlusions distally in small vessels. The following is/are true:
A. Hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and autoimmune disease must be ruled out to make the diagnosis of Buerger’s disease
B. Plethysmographic evidence of digital obstruction in all four extremities with normal proximal vessels is sufficient evidence for Buerger’s disease without arteriography
C. The most important treatment for Buerger’s disease is regional surgical sympathectomy
D. In contrast to the lower extremities, Buerger’s involvement of the upper extremities rarely leads to amputations
Answer:A
A 38-year-old male smoker with gangrenous changes in the toes of both feet has an arteriogram showing normal vessels to the popliteal trifurcation and multiple occlusions distally in small vessels. The following is/are true:
A. Hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and autoimmune disease must be ruled out to make the diagnosis of Buerger’s disease B. Plethysmographic evidence of digital obstruction in all four extremities with normal proximal vessels is sufficient evidence for Buerger’s disease without arteriography C. The most important treatment for Buerger’s disease is regional surgical sympathectomy D. In contrast to the lower extremities, Buerger’s involvement of the upper extremities rarely leads to amputations