Thromboangiitis obliterans

Thromboangiitis obliterans, commonly called Buerger's disease, is a recurring progressive inflammation and thrombosis of the small and medium arteries and veins of the hands and feet. It shows a strong association with tobacco use, both smoked and smokeless, and autoimmune mechanisms are suspected but not fully understood. The disease was first described by Felix von Winiwarter in Austria in 1879, with an accurate pathological description given by Leo Buerger at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York in 1908. Management centers on complete smoking cessation to slow progression, alongside vasodilators such as prostaglandins for pain, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sympathectomy in chronic cases, and amputation when gangrene develops.