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Both endovascular stenting and extrathoracic surgical bypass are safe and effective treatments for subclavian steal syndrome in the short and medium term; however, extrathoracic surgical bypasses are more durable in the long term.

BackgroundFor patients with thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO), revascularization with bypass or angioplasty is frequently not feasible due to the poor outflow of the distal small vessels. We evaluated the long-term results of our experience treating patients with TAO with autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (ABMMNCs) to determine the safety and efficacy of ABMMNC therapy in patients with critical limb ischemia due to TAO.MethodsThis was a retrospective chart review from a single university hospital vascular surgery center between January 2005 and July 2006. Patients were treated with smoking cessation and either aspirin (100 mg/day) alone or aspirin and ABMMNC injection according to patient preference. Groups were compared for demographics, clinical characteristics, and short-term and long-term results.ResultsOf 59 patients with TAO who were treated, 19 patients elected aspirin alone and 40 patients elected aspirin and ABMMNC injection. No patients suffered perioperative complications and 49 (83%) patients remained smoke-free for 10 years. The 10-year amputation-free survival was 85.3% (29/34) in patients treated with ABMMNCs compared to 40% (6/15) in patients treated with aspirin alone (p = 0.0019). Ulcer area (p < 0.0001), toe-brachial index (TBI; p < 0.0001), transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcPO2; p < 0.0001), and pain score (p < 0.0001) were also significantly improved with ABMMNC treatment, although there was no difference in mean ankle-brachial index (ABI; p = 0.806).ConclusionsIn patients with critical limb ischemia due to TAO, ABMMNC treatment was safe and effective. ABMMNC treatment significantly improved amputation-free survival, ulcer healing, and pain, although there is no difference in ABI compared to treatment with aspirin alone.

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