[The respective roles of surgery and physiotherapy at the stage of intermittent claudication (author's transl)].

The choice between rehabilitation and surgery must be made for each case after attentive consideration, and depends largely on the experience and the means of each therapeut. The proximal level represents the best field for surgery, above all in the case of instable or embolized atheroma. At medial level, both therapeutics may be discussed. At distal level, surgery is seldom indicated apart from lumbar sympathectomy. Practically, rehabilitation is most often indicated alone or associated with surgery.