ABSTRACT
The main purpose of defining and grading chronic arterial limb ischemia is to predict outcome and to standardize reporting practices. Many classification systems for grading the severity of chronic arterial occlusive disease have been suggested. In the case of critical limb ischemia (CLI), attempts at a precise definition based on clinical grades of classification systems have been problematic. Current CLI definitions have been criticized for being arbitrary, unclear, and not able to predict outcome accurately.
