[Treatment of chronic arterial occlusive disease. Clinical study with a new galenic preparation of Pentoxifyllin (Trental 400) (author's transl)].

26 patients suffering from arterial occlusive disease in the legs, stages IIa to IV according to Fontaine classification, and 7 patients with serious vascular disorders in the arm, were treated with daily 3- to 4 X 1 tablet Trental 400 (400 mg Pentoxifylline per tablet) over extended periods. In order to establish the therapeutic efficacy of the drug, influence on microcirculation (133Xenon-muscle clearance), poststenotic blood pressure (Doppler ultrasonic technique), oscillography, walking distance and alteration of clinical stage (following Fontaine classification) were studied. The medication resulted in a significant increase in muscular capillary flow whereby more affected legs showed better response than those initially less impaired. The poststenotic pressure increased significantly in initially more affected arteries and elevation of oscillographic amplitudes was found, too. The walking distance increased markedly, rest pain was removed and the clinical stage according to Fontaine classification changed on a linear scale from the more severe to the light stages of impairment. The patients with vascular disorders in the arms showed good improvement of their condition.