[Obliterating arterial angiopathy of the finger in vibration disease].

Twenty-nine patients with a clinically verified vibration syndrome after many years of work with chain saws underwent angiography of the hand and forearm. In 62-99% of the finger arteries investigated, occlusions, kinking and (more rarely) stenoses were found, preferentially on the long fingers II, III, IV and V (with decreasing incidence). Since the vibration syndrome is recognized as an occupational disease, angiographic evaluation of the degree of severity of the vascular damage appears to be of great significance in terms of industrial and insurance law, besides providing non-invasive proof of the vasospastic component of the clinical picture.