Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R J Valentine

Publications and source records attributed to R J Valentine.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Autoregulation of renal and splanchnic blood flow following infra-renal aortic clamping is mediated by nitric oxide and vasodilator prostanoids.

OBJECTIVE: This study examines the hypothesis that nitric oxide and vasodilator prostanoids contribute to the autoregulation of renal artery and superior mesenteric artery (SMA) blood flow following infra-renal aortic clamping. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Renal and SMA artery blood flow were measured in anesthetized rats. The rats received bolus injection of saline carrier, L-NAME (25 mg/kg) or indomethacin (15 mg/kg) prior to sham or infra-renal aortic occlusion. In vivo blood flow was measured 1, 30 and 60 minutes during aortic occlusion and 1, 30, and 60 minutes following release of the aortic cross clamp. RESULTS: Aortic occlusion transiently increased SMA blood flow but did not alter renal artery blood flow. Aortic clamp release resulted in a 40% decrease in both SMA and renal artery blood flow. L-NAME or indomethacin pretreatment decreased both SMA and renal artery blood flow at 60 minutes following infrarenal aortic occlusion. Indomethacin decreased SMA blood flow at 1 minute following unclamping of the aorta and L-NAME decreased SMA blood flow at 30 and 60 minutes following aortic clamp release. Both L-NAME and indomethacin markedly decreased renal artery blood flow at all time periods following aortic clamp release. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that renal and splanchnic vascular beds utilize endogenous vasodilator eicosanoids and nitric oxide to maintain blood flow during cross clamping and unclamping of the infra-renal aorta.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The durability of bilateral carotid endarterectomy.

To determine the natural history and durability of bilateral carotid endarterectomy (CEA), we studied 27 patients who participated in a randomized, prospective, consecutive entry trial comparing vein patch with primary CEA closure. This cohort represented 20% of the 136 patients who took part in the 4-year study. Bilateral CEAs were planned at the time of the original admission in 13 (48%), whereas 14 (52%) developed late indications for contralateral CEA a mean of 27 +/- 7 months after the initial procedure. Among the 27 patients, 15 underwent alternating methods of CEA closure. During a mean follow-up of 64 +/- 7 months, five patients had six recurrences (four unilateral, one bilateral). The type of closure did not affect the recurrence rate. All recurrences were asymptomatic and measured < 50% diameter loss by duplex criteria. There were no strokes. Two other patients had late transient ischemic attacks, but neither of them had arteriographic evidence of recurrent carotid disease. No patient underwent reoperative CEA. These data demonstrate that bilateral CEA is durable. Late recurrences are rare and clinically insignificant. The higher rate of unilateral recurrence suggests that local factors play a more important role than systemic factors in the etiology of recurrent disease.

Carotid Artery Diseases↗
PubMed1995

Role of physical examination in detection of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) has been advocated to decrease the high mortality rate of ruptured AAAs. The purpose of this study was to document how AAAs were detected, whether AAAs not detected on physical examination (PE) were palpable, and what factors precluded detection by PE. METHODS: Two hundred forty-three patients undergoing elective infrarenal AAA repair at a Veterans Affairs, county, or university hospital during a 10-year period were analyzed retrospectively. The method of initial detection of the AAA, size of the AAA at initial detection and before repair, and whether the AAA was palpable on preoperative PE were recorded, and the body mass index [BMI; weight in kg/(height in meters)2] was calculated. Obese patients were defined with BMI of greater than 85th percentile. RESULTS: Only 93 (38%) patients had their AAAs initially detected by PE; the remainder (62%) were found incidentally on radiologic examinations performed for other indications. Patients with AAAs detected by PE had lower BMIs (PE, 23.7 +/- 3.6 kg/m2; incidental, 26.0 +/- 4.6 kg/m2, p < 0.001), but there was no difference in AAA size (PE, 5.8 +/- 1.6 cm; incidental, 5.5 +/- 1.9 cm, not significant). Forty-three percent of patients with AAAs detected on radiologic examination had palpable AAAs and should have been detected on PE. Overall, 55 (23%) AAAs were not palpable on preoperative PE, even when the diagnosis was known. Obese patients had only 15% of AAAs detected by PE, and only 33% were palpable. CONCLUSIONS: AAAs are underdiagnosed by PE, especially in obese persons. More widespread abdominal examination to detect a widened aortic pulse would improve detection of AAAs.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

Age-related differences in the distribution of peripheral atherosclerosis: when is atherosclerosis truly premature?

BACKGROUND: The natural history of peripheral atherosclerosis in young adults appears to be unfavorable compared with that in older patients. No universally accepted definition of "premature" atherosclerosis exists, however, making comparison of clinical studies difficult. This study examined age-related differences in distribution of atherosclerotic lesions and determined an age threshold at which such differences became apparent. Such a threshold may provide a definition of premature atherosclerosis. METHODS: Arteriograms of all patients 49 years of age and younger undergoing evaluation of lower extremity ischemia during the past 5 years were reviewed and the findings were tabulated. Medical records were reviewed to obtain demographic data, assess risk factors, and confirm disease etiology. Exclusion criteria included normal arteriograms (three patients), history of acute or remote trauma (six patients), unclear cause of ischemic symptoms (three patients), arteritis (four patients), aneurysmal disease (one patient), and acute ischemia without prior chronic symptoms (12 patients). For comparison we also reviewed arteriograms performed during the same period in 140 patients older than 50 years of age who had chronic lower extremity ischemia caused by atherosclerosis. RESULTS: The mean age of the 59 study patients was 43.4 +/- 5.8 years (median age, 46 years; range, 25 to 49 years). Arteriograms were available in all cases; medical records were available in 54 (92%). Atherosclerosis involved only the aortoiliac segment in 25 patients (42%), the femoropopliteal-tibial arteries alone in 21 (36%), and both levels in 13 (22%). Patients with distal atherosclerosis had a higher prevalence of diabetes than those with proximal atherosclerosis (p = 0.004). Ninety-two (66%) of the 140 patients older than 50 years of age had atherosclerosis confined to a single arterial segment, which was not significantly different from the prevalence of single-level disease in the study group. However, 25 (54%) of the 46 study patients with single-level atherosclerosis had aortoiliac disease compared with only 15 (16%) of 92 patients older than 50 years of age with single-level disease (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to the pattern of disease in older adults, atherosclerosis in young, nondiabetic patients most commonly involves the aortoiliac segment. Differences in lesion distribution become increasingly apparent with age but are most striking between those 49 years of age and younger and those 50 years of age and older. Accordingly, we propose that premature peripheral atherosclerosis be defined as beginning at or before the age of 49 years.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Does desmopressin improve hemostasis and reduce blood loss from aortic surgery? A randomized, double-blind study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of desmopressin acetate (DDAVP) on blood loss, transfusion requirements, and thromboembolic complications in patients undergoing elective aortic operations. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind trial was carried out during a 3-year period with patients receiving 20 micrograms DDAVP or identical-appearing placebo at the time of aortic cross-clamp placement. In addition to major bleeding and thromboembolic end points, bleeding times and platelet counts were monitored serially. RESULTS: Forty-three patients were randomized to receive DDAVP, and 48 were assigned to a placebo. An equivalent proportion of patients with aneurysm and patients with occlusive disease was in each group. In spite of mild prolongation in the postoperative bleeding times and moderate thrombocytopenia, DDAVP had no beneficial effect on blood loss or transfusion requirements. Total blood transfusion amount (mean +/- standard deviation) for patients receiving DDAVP was 3.1 +/- 3.0 U compared with 2.7 +/- 3.0 U for those receiving placebo. For all patients the period associated with the greatest blood loss was the time between heparin administration with cross-clamp application and reversal of heparin with protamine sulfate. The incidence of major thromboembolic complications was similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: Thrombocytopenia and mild platelet dysfunction are common after aortic operation, but DDAVP does not improve hemostasis or lessen transfusion requirements. This study does not rule out a beneficial effect of DDAVP in patients who are undergoing more complex aortic operations or who have major hemostatic aberrations.

Aged↗
PubMed1995

The influence of sex and aortic size on late patency after aortofemoral revascularization in young adults.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether aortic size influences late patency of aortofemoral reconstructions in men and women with premature atherosclerosis. METHODS: We studied 37 consecutive young women (mean age +/- SEM, 44 +/- .7 years) and 36 young men (mean age 44 +/- .8 years) who underwent elective operations for aortoiliac occlusive disease during the past 15 years. Clinical data from patients with occluded versus patent grafts were studied, and angiographic findings in patients with occluded versus patent grafts and in young adult patients in a control group (n = 50) who had nonatherosclerotic conditions were compared. RESULTS: Twenty (54%) women and 17 (47%) men had limb occlusions within a mean of 31 +/- 6 months. These occlusions resulted in major amputations in 17 (23%) patients. When patients with occluded versus patent grafts were compared no differences were found in age, sex, symptoms, type or number of atherosclerotic risk factors, or operative details. As a whole, patients in the study group had smaller infrarenal aortas than did patients in the control group (p = 0.009). Women with limb occlusions had smaller infrarenal aortas than did women with patent grafts (p = 0.03) or healthy female patients in the control group (p = 0.002). Men with limb occlusions had smaller infrarenal aortas than did men with patent grafts (p = 0.017) or male patients in the control group (p < 0.001). Angiographic outflow scores were not different in men or women with occluded versus patent grafts. Among all variables studied proportional hazards regression analysis indicated that only mean infrarenal aortic diameter was predictive of graft patency. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that late graft failure after aortofemoral reconstruction is common in young adults. Patients with premature atherosclerosis have smaller infrarenal aortas compared with young adults in a control group, making them more vulnerable to symptoms from atherosclerotic lesions. Size of the infrarenal aortic segment is a critical determinant of late graft patency regardless of sex.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Dose-response relationship of levodopa with mood and anxiety in fluctuating Parkinson's disease: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

We investigated the effect of levodopa on mood and anxiety in eight Parkinson's disease patients with motor fluctuations. Each patient received 0.0-, 0.5-, and 1.0-mg/kg/hr levodopa infusions in randomly assigned order under double-blind conditions on consecutive days. Mood elevation and anxiety reduction based on half-hourly patient rating and a corresponding increase in tapping speed occurred with active drug infusion but not placebo infusion. The effects were dose related. The higher-dose infusion rate produced more rapid onset, greater magnitude, and longer duration of response. We conclude that mood and anxiety fluctuations related to levodopa dosing are robust pharmacologic, and not placebo, effects.

Affect↗
PubMed1994

Lp(a) lipoprotein is an independent, discriminating risk factor for premature peripheral atherosclerosis among white men.

BACKGROUND: Elevated plasma levels of Lp(a) lipoprotein have been linked to the development of premature atherosclerosis in the coronary circulation (coronary artery disease [CAD]). Although Lp(a) lipoprotein has been implicated as a risk factor for premature atherosclerosis in other locations, the patient populations described were not carefully screened for the coexistence of premature CAD. The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether carefully screened patients with premature peripheral vascular disease (PVD) have elevated plasma levels of Lp(a) lipoprotein and to test the relative strength of Lp(a) lipoprotein level as a risk factor for premature PVD. METHODS: We studied 55 consecutive white men with premature PVD (onset at 45 years of age or earlier) presenting to our vascular laboratory. Study subjects were substratified into 17 with PVD only and 38 with combined PVD and CAD (PVD + CAD). Two comparison groups included 26 age-matched white men with premature CAD recruited from the Cardiology Service after cardiac catheterization and 32 age-matched white male controls recruited from outpatient clinics. RESULTS: Mean plasma apolipoprotein B-100 levels were higher in the CAD group than in controls (P = .013). Mean plasma Lp(a) lipoprotein levels were higher among the 17 patients with PVD only than among controls (P = .008). The covariance-adjusted mean Lp(a) lipoprotein levels were higher among all 55 patients with PVD than among controls (P = .014). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated two variables to be significantly related to premature PVD: Lp(a) lipoprotein level greater than 30 mg/dL (odds ratio, 3.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 13.7) and apolipoprotein B level greater than 95 mg/dL (odds ratio, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 10.0). CONCLUSIONS: Lp(a) lipoprotein level is an independent, discriminating risk factor for premature PVD among white men.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Blunt pediatric vascular trauma: analysis of forty-one consecutive patients undergoing operative intervention.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the contribution of blunt vascular trauma to death and disability in children. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 41 patients aged 17 years and younger requiring operative intervention for 48 blunt vascular injuries during the past 18 years. RESULTS: Eight patients had arterial injuries (seven brachial, one superficial femoral) associated with orthopedic trauma resulting from falls. All eight were associated with a pulse deficit and were easily recognized. None of the eight had late sequelae after vascular repair. Thirty-three patients had vascular trauma as a result of motor vehicle crashes (n = 17), motor vehicle/pedestrian accidents (n = 12), or severe crush injuries (n = 4). Twenty-one (64%) were admitted in shock. Twenty-one major abdominal venous injuries were present in 17 patients and were lethal in 11 (65%). Abdominal venous injuries were not recognized before laparotomy. Nine of the 33 (27%) patients had extremity vascular injuries associated with orthopedic trauma, and three (9%) had major injuries of thoracic vessels. Only three patients had major abdominal arterial injuries in this series. CONCLUSIONS: Vascular injuries resulting from blunt trauma are rare in the pediatric age group. Whereas blunt arterial injuries associated with long bone fractures are readily recognized, easily treated, and result in minimal late morbidity, blunt abdominal venous injuries are rarely recognized before exploration and are lethal in more than half. Devastating venous injuries are more common than arterial injuries after blunt abdominal trauma in children.

Accidental Falls↗
PubMed1994

Coronary artery disease is highly prevalent among patients with premature peripheral vascular disease.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to document the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated cardiac complications among patients with symptoms of premature peripheral vascular disease. METHODS: We studied the peripheral and coronary arterial circulations of 59 consecutive male military veterans diagnosed with premature peripheral vascular disease (age of onset < or = 45 years) affecting the lower extremity. Patients who had not previously undergone coronary angiography underwent exercise stress testing. Patients unable to perform exercise testing and those with abnormal exercise test results underwent coronary angiography. RESULTS: There was no evidence of CAD in 16 patients (29%) on the basis of normal exercise test results (n = 12) or normal coronary angiography results (n = 4). Forty-three patients (71%) had significant (> or = 50% lesion) CAD by coronary catheterization. Cardiac complications were frequent among the 43 patients. Eleven (65%) of the 17 patients with single-vessel CAD had previously documented myocardial infarctions, as did three (75%) of the four patients with two-vessel CAD and 18 (82%) of the 22 patients with three vessel or greater CAD. Three (18%) patients with one-vessel CAD had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for symptoms, as had one patient (25%) with two-vessel CAD and 19 patients (86%) with three-vessel or greater CAD. Five patients died during the study period, four of myocardial infarction and one of stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Premature peripheral atherosclerosis is associated with a high prevalence of CAD. Detection of CAD is important in this group, because cardiac complications are frequent.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Saphenous vein patch versus primary closure for carotid endarterectomy: long-term assessment of a randomized prospective study.

PURPOSE: This study examines the long-term results of a randomized prospective study comparing primary versus saphenous vein patch (VP) closure after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). METHODS: One-hundred thirty-six patients undergoing 163 CEAs over a 46-month period were prospectively randomized to VP, or primary closure. Patients with internal carotid artery diameters less than 5 mm and those requiring complex CEAs underwent obligatory vein patch (OVP). Patients were monitored with duplex scanning every 3 months for 1 year and every 6 months thereafter. All patients received aspirin. RESULTS: There were three perioperative strokes (one in the primary group, two in the OVP group) and no perioperative deaths. Two perioperative revisions were performed within 30 days of the original CEA for residual disease. During a mean follow-up of 59 +/- 4 months, nine ipsilateral neurologic events have occurred, including two strokes and seven transient ischemic attacks. Sixteen patients had duplex evidence of recurrent stenosis, and one was associated with a stroke 36 months after CEA. Recurrence rates were similar in all groups (cumulative recurrence at 5 years: primary 7.8%, VP 14.3%, OVP 5.3%). Of the 136 patients (163 procedures), 72 (53%) (88 procedures) are alive and well, 16 (11.7%) (19 procedures) have been lost to follow-up, and 48 patients (35.3%) (56 procedures) have died. The cumulative stroke-free survival rate at 84 months was 71% for VP, 74% for OVP, and 60% for the primary group. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that CEA is a durable procedure. The use of VP closure did not produce superior long-term results compared with the use of primary closure in this select group of patients.

Carotid Artery, Internal↗
PubMed1993

Detection of unsuspected renal artery stenoses in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms: refined indications for preoperative aortography.

Renal artery stenoses (RASs) that are unsuspected on clinical grounds are common in patients with peripheral vascular disease. These lesions may be missed in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) who undergo arteriography based on selective clinical indications alone. We reviewed 98 consecutive patients with AAAs to determine how often selective arteriography would fail to diagnose unsuspected RAS. The location and degree of RASs were noted on preoperative arteriograms, which were routinely obtained in all patients considered for AAA repair during the study period. Medical records were studied to determine the presence of selective clinical indications for preoperative arteriography (moderate to severe hypertension or renal insufficiency). Twenty-four patients had a significant (> or = 50% diameter loss) RAS, and 10 patients had a severe (> or = 75% diameter loss) RAS or renal artery occlusion. Patients with significant RAS had a higher incidence of hypertension (p = 0.035) and renal insufficiency (p = 0.018). All 10 patients with severe RASs required at least two antihypertensive medications to control their hypertension compared with 22 of 88 patients who did not have a severe RAS (p < 0.001). Forty-three patients had an indication for arteriography according to selection criteria (renal insufficiency, moderate or severe hypertension, or both). No severe RASs were found in patients who did not meet the selection criteria for arteriography. Using arteriography based on the presence of hypertension requiring two or more medications for control will detect the vast majority of severe, unsuspected RASs in AAA patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

The intra-aortic balloon pump, a novel addition to staged repair of combined symptomatic cerebrovascular and coronary artery disease.

Five patients with severe symptomatic carotid and coronary artery disease were treated with staged carotid endarterectomy and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) under the protection of an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) over a 56-month period. All patients presented with unstable angina and multiple ipsilateral transient ischemic attacks. Two of the four patients had four previous myocardial infarctions. Arteriography demonstrated three-vessel coronary artery disease and 80% to 95% stenosis of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery in all patients. An IABP was placed prior to uneventful carotid endarterectomy performed with vein patch angioplasty (three patients) or primary closure (two patients) under general anesthesia. All five patients had remarkably stable blood pressure and cardiac outputs while on the IABP. Twenty-four hours after carotid endarterectomy the patients underwent uneventful CABG of three or more vessels. No complications occurred with either surgical procedure. One patient required femoral embolectomy and repair of a small false femoral aneurysm following removal of the IABP. All patients were discharged home 7 to 13 days after CABG. This initial report suggests that IABP can be used safely in staged operations for carefully selected patients with unstable angina and severe symptomatic carotid artery disease.

Carotid Artery Diseases↗
PubMed1993

Splenic infarction after splenorenal arterial bypass.

Because of the spleen's extensive collateral circulation, the risk of splenic infarction after splenorenal arterial bypass (SRB) has been considered negligible. We report four patients in whom splenic infarctions developed after SRB. Splenic infarction developed in one patient at the time of SRB, and symptoms of splenic abscess (fever, abdominal pain, and leukocytosis) that proved to be splenic infarctions at laparotomy developed in three patients 2 to 16 days after the operation. Factors possibly contributing to splenic infarction could be determined for three patients. These included interruption of collateral vessels, intraoperative hypotension and disseminated intravascular coagulation, and distal splenic artery ligation. Normal Doppler flow was detected in the splenic parenchyma during test occlusions of the splenic artery before SRB in three patients. Our experience suggests that existing collateral circulation may not always sustain splenic viability after SRB, and some patients may not be suitable candidates for this operation. Factors such as adequacy of inflow, splenic artery length, and risk of perioperative hypotension should be considered.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

Creation of a neo-aortoiliac system from lower extremity deep and superficial veins.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the morbidity, mortality, and intermediate term follow-up of patients undergoing replacement of their aortoiliac-femoral systems with lower extremity deep and superficial veins. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The most commonly used treatment for aortic prosthetic infection is ectopic bypass and removal of the prosthesis. The overall mortality rate with this approach is approximately 20%, with an amputation rate of 10% to 14%. Other limitations include thrombosis of the ectopic bypass leading to limb loss, reinfection of the ectopic bypass, and aortic stump blowout. Dissatisfaction with this approach has led the authors to develop the following. METHODS: A neo-aortoiliac system (NAIS) was fashioned from lower extremity deep veins (DV), greater saphenous veins (GSV), or both in patients with infected aortobifemoral prosthesis (n = 17) and other complex aortic problems (n = 3). Removal of infected prosthetic material, harvest of vein, and creation of NAIS was performed as a single-staged procedure. RESULTS: The in-hospital mortality and amputation rates were 10% each. The mean (+/- standard deviation [SD]) operative time was 6.5 +/- 1.8 hours and the blood transfusion requirement was 4 +/- 3 units. Four patients experienced postoperative gastrointestinal complications with peritonitis and sepsis; NAIS vein graft resisted infection and remained intact. The mean follow-up time was 22.5 +/- 16 months. NAISs constructed from GSVs were prone to the development of focal stenoses requiring intervention or diffuse neointimal hyperplasia leading to occlusion. In contrast, all NAISs from larger caliber DVs have remained widely patent. The failure rate of GSV NAISs was 64%, compared to 0% for DV NAISs (p = 0.006). Despite the high failure rate in patients with GSV NAISs, none has required amputation. In patients who had DVs harvested for NAIS reconstruction, limb edema and other signs of venous hypertension have been minimal. CONCLUSION: NAIS reconstruction from lower extremity veins is a successful option in patients with extensive aortic prosthetic infection and other complex aortic problems.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

The coronary risk of unsuspected renal artery stenosis.

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of unsuspected renal artery stenoses (RAS) in patients undergoing arteriography for evaluation of aneurysmal or occlusive vascular disease and whether symptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD) is more prevalent among patients with unsuspected RAS. METHODS: We reviewed the arteriograms and medical records of 346 consecutive patients with aortic aneurysms or occlusive disease in whom RAS was unsuspected on clinical grounds. RESULTS: Aortography revealed unsuspected RAS (50% or greater diameter loss) in 98 patients (28%). Patients with RAS had a higher prevalence of mild, controlled hypertension (p < 0.001) and mild renal insufficiency (p < 0.001), but in no case was arteriography obtained to diagnose renovascular hypertension or ischemic nephropathy. Fifty-seven patients (58%) with unsuspected RAS had clinically overt CAD (documented myocardial infarction, positive coronary catheterization, previous coronary revascularization, ischemic electrocardiography changes, or angina pectoris), compared with 96 patients (39%) without RAS (p = 0.002). The correlation between the prevalence of CAD and RAS severity was highly significant (p < 0.001), and the relative odds ratio of CAD was highest for RAS measuring 75% or greater. Stepwise logistic regression analysis demonstrated three variables to be significantly and independently associated with CAD: 75% or greater RAS (p = 0.001), aortic aneurysm disease (p = 0.01), and hypertension (p = 0.001). RAS measuring 75% or greater diameter loss was associated with the highest estimated odds ratio: patients with this degree of RAS had a fourfold increase in the prevalence of clinically overt CAD. We also evaluated the relationship between RAS, mesenteric artery stenosis, and CAD; although RAS was more frequent among patients with mesenteric artery stenoses, mesenteric artery stenoses were not associated with CAD. CONCLUSIONS: Unsuspected RAS is common among patients with peripheral vascular disease and should be considered an independent marker for CAD.

Adult↗