Aortoiliac Occlusion (Leriche Syndrome) Resulting from Past Trauma

The syndrome of chronic occlusion of the aorta and iliac arteries, as described by Leriche in 1940, has been attributed to atherosclerosis by practically all who have written on this condition.1-3However, the histories of the patients to be described lead one to believe that the atherosclerosis and thrombosis in some patients may be secondary to past trauma to the abdominal aorta rather than the primary cause of the syndrome. A patient who drew our attention to the fact that the abdominal aorta is susceptible to injury was a 36-year-old man, seen in 1954, who was struck in the abdomen by a wooden beam moving at high speed. At operation the abdominal aorta was found to be thrombosed. This is an extreme example of trauma resulting in acute thrombosis of the abdominal aorta. It occurred to us that trauma of less degree may subsequently result in occlusion of the