• Under the auspices of the Belgian Surgical Society, a small group of American and European surgeons discussed in detail the place of lumbar sympathectomy in present day surgical practice. A consensus was reached concerning the physiologic effect, anatomical variations and indications for the operation. Conclusions included the questionable value of lumbar sympathectomy for treating intermittent claudication due to aortoiliac disease alone, its possible effectiveness when obliterative arterial disease is limited to the femoral popliteal segment, and its occasional beneficial effect when performed in conjunction with some reconstructive arterial operations.
(Arch Surgery 113:295-296, 1978)