Obsessions and phobias are often considered together, as both stem from anxiety.

The obsessional personality may, in its milder forms, be an asset in our society. It can lead its owner to have what appears to be strength of character, a well-developed sense of duty, conscientiousness and to be a hard worker.

If carried to excess, it may make its owner cold, rigid, inhibited and repressed.

The obsessional person has difficulty in handling his own aggression and this hostility is then repressed.

His troubles often stem from unresolved childhood conflicts between obedience and defiance; from fear of authority; and the development of a rigid, conforming attitude with an obsession for neatness and orderliness.

Because for the unresolved conflicts the obsessional person develops anxiety and can control it only by seeking order and attempting to control everything around him.

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Angiography is the procedure of inserting a needle into the femoral artery in the groin and injecting a radio-opaque dye. X-rays are taken as the dye flows down the arteries with the blood and outlines the arterial tree. Narrowing or blocking can be seen.

An ultrasound probe may also be used. This employs the Doppler effect. If you remember the physics you learned at school, you may understand how it works.

An ultrasonic signal is beamed into the artery and the reflected beam picked up and converted into an audible signal. The pitch of the sound varies with the velocity of the blood flow and can show narrowing or blocking.

If the disease is widespread, involving most of the arteries, operation may not be possible.

The femoral artery is the one most usually involved and is often blocked at about its middle. It is possible to bypass the localised blockage by taking a vein, usually the long saphenous vein that runs from the groin to the ankle, and joining it to the artery above and below the block.

It is possible to use synthetic material in place of the vein but it appears that the vein graft gives better long-term results.

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