We report the case of a 74-year-old man with Fontaine stage IV chronic arteriosclerosis obliterans who had been suffering
from inveterate giant skin ulcers on the dorsum and heel of the right foot. As conventional medical treatments had not improved
these ulcers and surgical treatment was considered unfeasible, amputation of the right lower limb below the knee appeared
to represent the only option. The patient was admitted to Tottori University Hospital to attempt a new angiogenic therapy
using auto-mononuclear cell transplantation to avoid amputation. On admission, neither right ankle blood pressure nor transcutaneous
partial pressure of oxygen at the right toe were detectable. The patient had a history of multiple cerebral infarctions, and
collection of mononuclear cells from bone marrow was considered too difficult, so collection of peripheral blood mononuclear
cells was selected. Transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen and skin temperature in the treated limb started to improve
from 2 weeks after implantation. Ulcer size was recognizably reduced by 1 month after treatment. Partial auto-skin implantation
on the right heel was performed 2 months after treatment, and the giant skin ulcer was finally completely covered. No adverse
effects were noted during follow-up lasting 1 year. These results suggest that peripheral blood mononuclear cell implantation
may offer a suitable alternative rescue therapy for patients with critical limb ischemia whose general condition is not good.
Key words Chronic arteriosclerosis obliterans - Cell transplantation - Angiogenesis