Abstract
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is an important manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis, and prompts many patients to consult orthopedics departments. The prevalence of PAD treated in our clinic was examined. I studied 197 patients with intermittent claudication (IMC), numbness of the lower limbs and cold sensation by measuring the ankle brachial pressure index (ABI).
Defining an ABI of 0.9 or less as PAD, 12 (6.1%) of 197 patients and 6 (13%) of 47 patients with IMC were diagnosed as having PAD. Three of 90 patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LCS) had PAD.
It is thought that orthopedic surgeons should always take blood vessel characteristics and mental change caused by PAD into consideration in patients presenting with IMC.
