A Reminiscence of the Diagnostic Value of Phleboreography in the Pioneering Work of Professor John J. Cranley at the Good Samaritan Hospital (Cincinnati, Ohio)

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the many contributions of John J. Cranley developed at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. This includes phleborheography which was one of the earliest noninvasive vascular tests developed by Dr. John J. Cranley. Methods: This is a retrospective review of the laboratory manual at Good Samaritan Hospital, articles and publications authored by Dr. Cranley regarding use of phleborheography for the diagnosis of DVT prior to the era of duplex imaging. Results: The development and technique for the performance of phleborheography testing is described. Interpretation criteria, sources of error, extrinsic venous compression, equivocal testing, non-occlusive thrombi, acute and chronic deep vein thrombosis, chronic occlusion of major veins, and pulmonary embolism following a negative PRG are discussed. Conclusions: This functional test was most accurate in diagnosing and localizing acute DVT. These functional principles continue to be applied currently with the air plethysmography. Dr. John J. Cranley was one of the early giants in vascular surgery especially in the development of noninvasive vascular testing and use of the vascular laboratory with applications for patient management in vascular surgery. He had a very inquiring mind. He enjoyed mentoring and sharing his knowledge with anyone who would listen or debate. It was a privilege to have him as my mentor.