Increased level of plasmatic homocysteine (tHcy) – Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHC) – is respected as independent risk factor causing early development of atherosclerotic lesions. Most prominent changes were desribed in peripheral, cerebral and coronary arteries. Selhub et al. (17) found in older patients from “Framingham Study“ a close relation between mild increased homocysteine < 20 µmol/l and stenoses of carotideal arteries. The aim of our work was to verify this finding in patients with tHcy > 20 µmol/l operated for peripheral arteries stenoses. From 1096 sonografically investigated patients suffering from vascular diseases (with tHcy > 20 µmol/l) only 129 were statistically analyzed (ANOVA mono- and multivariant analysis). Age 40–85 years. Patients suffering from diabetes, epilepsy, renal or hepatal failure were excluded. Stenoses of carotideal arteries (ACE, ACI, ACC) were percentually evaluated in three categories: I. 0–30%; II. 30–70%; III. > 70 %. Total homocysteine (tHcy) estimated with FPIA on IMX Abbott.Folate by chemiluminiscence method on IMMULITE, DPC; vitamin B12 – by fluorometric immunoassay on Abbott Axsym; B6 – chromatographically on HPLC (Chromsystems) with QCA by ERDNIM, SEKK and INSTAND.Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotype 677 C > T was analyzed by PCR after Frosst et al. (5). None of analyzed categories of vascular patients showed direct relation between plasmatic tHcy and severity of carotideal stenosis (P = 0,11). Also the age dependence for tHcy was only weakly expressed (P = 0,06). Nonsignificant correlations were observed betweent stenoses and folate (P = 0,18) or vitamin B12 (P = 0,24). MTHFR genotype in folate-sensitive vascular patients showed in 37% homozygozity and in 33% heterozygozity for 677 C > T mutation.

        Key words: hyperhomocysteinaemia, peripheral artery stenosis, carotideal artery stenosis, correlation.