In the UK, approximately 5000 patients present annually with acute lower limb ischaemia. The aetiology is usually thromboembolic disease, other causes include aortic dissection and arterial trauma. Over the past two decades thrombosis has replaced embolism as the principal cause of acute ischaemia, and now accounts for approximately 59% of cases. As a consequence, intra-arterial thrombolysis is being increasingly used as first-line treatment for this condition.
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