Background: To evaluate the efficacy of treatment with prostaglandins (Iloprost and Alprostadil) in patients with peripheral arterial disease in whom a surgical act or a redo operation is not proposable and to set the role of these drugs in the therapy of arterial diseases.
Methods: We analyzed the results of 96 treatments in patients with peripheral arterial diseases of different etiology, treated in the Day Hospital in the Division of Vascular Surgery from the 1/1/1993 to the 30/6/1998. The efficacy of the treatment has been evaluated on the basis of the clinical picture (healing or reduction of ulcers, reduction of rest-pain, improvement of the ability to walk).
Results: We had positive results in 60% of the patients who completed the treatment, a good outcome for patients with particularly severe arterial disease. Interruptions induced by the occurrence of uncontrolled side-effects are a few (6.25%). Better results have been found in a special category of disease (arterial diseases not associated with diabetes, not very advanced clinical picture, female gender). Iloprost proved to be superior to Alprostadil.
Conclusions: Prostaglandins today represent an effective therapeutic solution to be considered. Further studies need to be done to find a category of patients who can have the best benefit from this kind of drug.