[Arterial bypass iterative thrombosis and cancer: three cases]. / Thromboses itératives de pontages artériels et cancer : à propos de trois cas.

Cancer associated with venous thromboembolic disease has been recognized since Trousseau, but a link between cancer and iterative arterial thrombosis is rarely described. We report three cases of patients with iterative bypass thrombosis in whom cancer was subsequently diagnosed: lung cancer in one patient and hepatocarcinoma and bladder cancer in the others. Smoking and hypertension were risk factors in both patients. The link between arterial thrombosis and cancer is probably multifactorial. In case of iterative arterial bypass thrombosis, the search for cancer is as useful as the control of cardiovascular risk factors and the search for antiphospholipid syndrome, since patient management can be affected.

[Importance of searching for hypogonadism in patients with a longstanding history of leg ulcers?]. / Quel est l'intérêt de rechercher un hypogonadisme chez un patient présentant des ulcères de jambe récidivant depuis l'âge de 20 ans?

Androgen replacement therapy has been reported to have a beneficial effect in patients with Klinefelter's syndrome or perforating plantar ulcers. We report the case of a 55-year-old man with a 35-year history of leg ulcers and venous insufficiency. His leg ulcers healed 4 months after a management scheme including vascular rehabilitation (intermittent pressure therapy, ankle mobilization, multiple layer compression bands on the lower limbs), skin grafts and foam sclerotherapy of the great saphenous vein. The ulcers recurred 1 month later. This recurrence and the unusually young age for development of venous leg ulcers led to a search for a rare cause. The diagnosis of anterior pituitary failure was established. Sclerotherapy and androgen replacement therapy led to complete healing without recurrence at the 1-year follow-up visit. A link between androgen deficiency and fibrinolysis, protein synthesis deficiency, inflammation and trophicity is well documented in the literature. A search for hypogonadism may be useful in young patients presenting a longstanding history of leg ulcers or in patients with suspected andropause irrespective of age.

New rehabilitation program for intermittent claudication: Interval training with active recovery: pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is one of the complications of atherosclerosis. Intermittent claudication is the second stage of PAD. In controlled studies on patients with Stage II PAD, intensive rehabilitation training has proved effective for improving the walking distance in this population. The objective of this prospective study was to determine the effects of treadmill interval training followed by active recovery (low-intensity exercise). METHODS AND RESULTS: Eleven patients with Stage II peripheral arterial disease were included in a rehabilitation program (mean age 68.3±10.3 years) for five days a week during two weeks including global exercises, exercises below and above the level of injury. The interval training program consisted of treadmill training for 30minutes twice a day (morning and evening) with a progressively increased intensity: the first week speed was increased and the second week slope was increased. Each session included five six-minute cycles. Each cycle was made of three minutes of active workout followed by three minutes of active recovery. RESULTS: All patients improved their walking distance, from a mean of 610 m (120-1930) at the beginning of the program to a mean of 1252 m (320-2870) at the end (P=0.003). All patients were very motivated by the rehabilitation training program No adverse event was reported. CONCLUSION: This study showed that an interval training program with active recovery was effective and safe for patients with Stage II peripheral arterial disease, the patients' motivation was high. This study must now be validated by a clinical trial.

[Leg ulcer and Klinefelter syndrome]. / Ulcère de jambe et syndrome de Klinefelter.

We report a case of 47 years old patient who was admitted to hospital because of bilateral leg ulcers for 6 years. Chromosome analysis revealed XXY karyotype, confirming the clinical diagnosis of Klinefelter's syndrome. Testosterone level was low and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor (PAI-1) was elevated. The patient was given androgen therapy which resulted in a normalization of the PAI-1 activity. The frequency of leg ulcers in patients with Klinefelter syndrome is between 6 and 12% according to studies. Different causes would explain the tendency towards leg ulcers in Klinefelter's syndrome: conjunctive tissues abnormalities were revealed in some studies. A higher frequency of venous insufficiency is reported in patients with Klinefelter's syndrome, either due to the particular morphology (obesity, taller size) or due to an androgen deficiency. A few arterial dysplasias cases of arteries's legs were described in patients with leg ulcers and Klinefelter syndrome. Haemostasis disorders presented in this case and normalized after androgen therapy will contribute to the physiopathologic discussion.