This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Strandness, D.E. Articles by Eidt, J. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Strandness, D.E., Jr Articles by Eidt, J. F. Related Collections Pathophysiology Heparin CV surgery: aortic and vascular disease Doppler ultrasound, Transcranial Doppler etc. Carotid endarterectomy

(Circulation. 2000;102:IV-46.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.

Special Anniversary Issue

Peripheral Vascular Disease

D.E. Strandness, Jr, MD, DMed(Hon); John F. Eidt, MD

From the Department of Surgery (D.E.S.), University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, and the Division of Vascular Surgery (J.F.E.), University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock.

Correspondence to D. Eugene Strandness, MD, University of Washington School of Medicine, 1959 NE Pacific St, Box 356410, Seattle, WA 98195-6410.

Key Words: anticoagulants • imaging • diabetes mellitus • surgery • ultrasonics

There is little doubt that one of the greatest advances in the field of peripheral arterial disease was our ability to visualize problems wherever they occurred. This was possible because of the development of arteriography. One of the dramatic developments that made this possible was the observation by Forsmann¹ in 1929 that a catheter could be threaded through a peripheral vein into the right heart. He also suggested the possibility of injecting a contrast agent through the catheter for imaging purposes. Because of this contribution, he was awarded the Nobel prize in 1953. Seldinger² in 1953 pushed this concept even further by showing that it was possible to replace an intra-arterial needle with a catheter that could be manipulated within the arterial system.

These developments, along with the realization that arteries could be replaced, led to many of the early advances. One of the first methods used to replace segments of abdominal aorta was the use of homografts. Dubost et al³ in 1952 reported the replacement of an aortic aneurysm with a homograft. This procedure was rapidly followed by similar efforts in the United States by Julian et al⁴ and Debakey et al.⁵ These homografts were initially used for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms but did have serious problems related to size, according to the anatomy of the patient and late breakdown of the grafts themselves.⁶ Once it became obvious that arterial homografts were not an answer to the problem of arterial replacement, development of alternative methods moved ahead . . . [Full Text of this Article]