Surgical result of critical limb ischemia due to tibial arterial occlusion in patients with systemic scleroderma.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the outcome after surgery for critical limb ischemia (CLI) due to tibial artery occlusion in patients with systemic scleroderma.

METHODS

The medical records of scleroderma patients with CLI due to tibial artery occlusion were reviewed with respect to demographic data and perioperative variables.

RESULTS

Eight patients were identified at The University of Tokyo Hospital from 1991 to 2007. The underlying collagen disease was progressive systemic scleroderma in 6 patients and CREST syndrome in 2 patients. The subjects were 1 man and 7 women with a mean age of 68 years. While hypercoagulability including positive anticardiolipin antibodies was found in only 1 patient, all patients were antinuclear antibody (ANA) positive and 6 of 8 patients had a high titer of centromere-type ANA. Five underwent pedal artery bypass and 1 underwent distal peroneal artery bypass, while 2 underwent primary limb amputation. Although 1 patient with bypass had early graft occlusion (with subsequent below-knee amputation), the other 5 patients with patent grafts quickly achieved pain relief and initial wound healing. However, four of the five patent grafts developed graft occlusion several months after surgery, with severe intimal thickening at the anastomosis. As a result, 2 of 6 patients with bypass (totally 4 of 8 patients) underwent limb loss and 1 patient developed persistent recurrent ulcer.

CONCLUSION

Bypass surgery in patients with scleroderma and CLI can be successful in achieving early pain relief and ischemic wound healing. However, the long-term effectiveness is limited with high rates of graft failure and limb loss.