Influence of surgical endarterectomy in the femoral-popliteal segment on gait pattern in a patient with peripheral arterial disease

*Urszula E. Ulmer¹, Leszek Czerwosz², Rafał Ł. Leszcz¹, Michał Bielwaski¹, Maria M. Grochowska¹, Katarzyna Wilczyńska¹, Paweł Białek¹, Robert Proczka¹, Paweł Nitkowski¹, Jerzy A. Polański¹

Summary
Aim. The aim of this study was to determine if surgical endarterectomy of the arteries of the lower limb affects in any way the gait pattern in patients diagnosed with PAD and if in a remote postoperative day, can be established improvement of the patient’s gait parameters relative to the values obtained in the test before surgery. The third objective was the verification of the suitability of the measurement method by measuring the gait parameters in a relatively small stretch, with the aid of the measuring system Ultraflex Computer Dyno Graphy (CDG) from Infotronic Medical Engineering (12).
Material and methods. In the study participated PAD 20 patients and 17 controls. Each patient was subjected to a surgical endarterectomy. Measurements of gait were performed in each patient three times: I one day before the endarterectomy procedure, II 1-3 days after surgery, and III 6 weeks later.
Results. Gait speed was lower in patients than in the control group by more than 1 km/h. In PAD patients, gait speed in series III was higher then speed in series II and very similar to series I. Mean cycle and mean frequency did not differ among series I, II, and III in patients, but there were a significant differences from control values – in patients cycle was longer and frequency smaller. Comparative analysis of three series showed no severe changes of speed or single or double support duration. The results of comparisons of single and double support times, calculated as percentage with respect to the duration of gait cycle, indicate however, that patients avoid single support in favour of double support. Gait measured in series II manifested an increased heterogeneity (inequality of steps) in relation to the other two series in PAD patients.
Conclusions. The performed study demonstrates that surgical endarterectomy procedure in the femoro-popliteal segment affected the PAD patient’s gait pattern, especially in the early days after surgery.

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