title: Raynaud's phenomenon in arterial obstructive disease of the hand demonstrated by locally provoked cooling.
abstract: Finger systolic blood pressure (FSP) was measured by cuff technique before and after local cooling in three groups of patients (Raynaud's disease (7), subclavian stenoses, (5), thrombo-angiitis obliterans (15)), and in 15 normals. The response to finger cooling registered as a decrease in FSP indicates an increase of digital arterial tone. In all three groups, digital arterial tone increased more than in normals during finger cooling. Patients with Raynaud's disease showed a pathological increase in arterial tone at 23.5 degrees C with closure of the digital arteries at a mean temperature of 18.5 degrees C. The temperature eliciting these phenomena in patients with thrombo-angiitis obliterans was about 7 degrees C lower (16.5 and 11.0 degrees C, respectively). Accordingly, cold sensitivity and Raynaud's phenomena in the two groups may have a different pathophysiological mechanism, namely a pathological arterial tone in Raynaud's disease vs. a normal arterial tone in obliterative diseases acting on a narrow vessel.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003080:Cold Temperature / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005385:Fingers / Q000098:blood supply; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009129:Muscle Tonus; D011928:Raynaud Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013348:Subclavian Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology