Our results suggest that depending on the extent of lesions transluminal angioplasty of infrapopliteal artery stenoses and occlusions is considered as an effective and save therapy modality to avoid limb loss in diabetics with critical ischemia.

Diabeticpatients with ESRD attained an acceptable graft patency and limb salvage but they sustained higher perioperative mortality and morbidity and reduced survival.

Summary. The comparison of two groups of patients with different anastomosis techniques (346 large bowel resections) demonstrates a lower degree of complications and mortality rates with the single layer anastomosis. These observations were proven in dogs. The double layer sutures had a prolonged healing process, a delayed revascularisation, intramural abscess formation and a stenotic intraluminal roll building. These problems were not observed in single layer anastomosis, rather than a faster healing process. Angiographically the capillary infiltration already during the first postoperative week was seen.

The healing of intestinal anastomoses has many physiological, biochemical and morphological aspects. In each stage it can be disturbed or blocked. Nearly each factor of normal healing can under changed circumstances, favour anastomotic dehiscence. Dehiscence can be caused by one severe disturbing factor; in most cases, however, there is more than one factor that forms rupture of the anastomosis. The intestine itself can become a disturbing factor as well as changed biological circumstances and last but not least insufficient tactics and techniques of building an anastomosis.

In 30 rats the healing process of colonic anastomosis contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus was studied. At the same time on each animals a single- and double-layer anastomosis was performed. All sutures were infected during the surgical procedure with highly infectious S. aureus. The rats were sacrificed after 1, 2, 3, 4 days, and 2 1/2 weeks. Criteria for estimation were mainly visible abscess formations, leakage spots, bacteriologic and histologic examinations. After apparent inflammatory reactions were seen on the first postoperative days with a maximum on the 4th day, all sutures were completely healed and free of S. aureus after 2 1/2 weeks. As for the extent of infectious inflammation, the single-layer suture technique proved to be more resistant than the double layer.