Rutherford classification
Surgery and anaesthesia
Also known as: Rutherford categories · Rutherford-Klassifikation · Rutherford-Kategorien · Rutherford sınıflaması · Rutherford classification (chronic limb ischaemia)
What it is for
The Rutherford classification grades chronic lower-limb ischaemia in categories 0–6 (grouped into grades 0–III); unlike Fontaine it pairs each clinical category with objective non-invasive criteria (such as ankle and toe pressures). Categories:
Classification
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Category 0 (grade 0) | asymptomatic. |
| Category 1 (grade I) | mild claudication. |
| Category 2 (grade I) | moderate claudication. |
| Category 3 (grade I) | severe claudication. |
| Category 4 (grade II) | ischaemic rest pain. |
| Category 5 (grade III) | minor tissue loss: non-healing ulcer or focal gangrene. |
| Category 6 (grade III) | major tissue loss extending above (proximal to) the transmetatarsal level. |
| Note | categories 4–6 correspond to chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI) and to Fontaine III–IV. |
Source
Recommended standards for reports dealing with lower extremity ischemia: revised version
J Vasc Surg 1997;26:517–538 (Rutherford RB et al.)
DOI: 10.1016/s0741-5214(97)70045-4
PMID: 9308598
- Edition
- Rutherford et al. 1997 revised reporting standards (Society for Vascular Surgery / ISCVS), categories 0–6
- 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.