Fontaine classification
Surgery and anaesthesia
Also known as: Fontaine stages · Fontaine-Klassifikation · Fontaine-Stadien · Fontaine sınıflaması · Fontaine evreleri · Fontaine classification (peripheral arterial disease)
What it is for
Fontaine staging grades chronic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the legs by symptoms alone, from no symptoms to tissue loss. Stages:
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Stage I | no symptoms (disease present, e.g. on examination or testing). |
| Stage IIa | intermittent claudication with a pain-free walking distance of more than 200 m. |
| Stage IIb | intermittent claudication with a pain-free walking distance of less than 200 m. |
| Stage III | ischaemic pain at rest. |
| Stage IV | ischaemic ulceration and/or gangrene (tissue loss). |
| Note | stages III and IV correspond to chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI); the Rutherford scheme is the category-based counterpart (Rutherford 0 = Fontaine I, 1–3 = II, 4 = III, 5–6 = IV). |
Source
Die chirurgische Behandlung der peripheren Durchblutungsstörungen
Helv Chir Acta 1954;21:499–533 (Fontaine R, Kim M, Kieny R)
- Edition
- Fontaine, Kim and Kieny 1954 (unchanged clinical staging; still the common scheme in German-speaking countries)
- Checked on
Summary of the published classification in our own words. Not a substitute for the original publication.
A question about this classification?
Medelix answers clinical questions from guidelines and studies – every statement with its source.