title: Assessment of intermittent claudication: a comparison of questionnaire, visual analogue scale and subjective estimate information with post-exercise ankle-brachial pressure index.
abstract: In order to assess two simple methods of evaluation of claudication, a standard questionnaire and visual analogue scale, a comparison was made between them and the post-exercise pressure index used as a gold standard. Fifty-eight consecutive stable claudicants were recruited to the study, 51/58 having arterial insufficiency according to post-exercise pressure measurements. Both methods appeared to correlate rather poorly with post-exercise pressures. Thus visual analogue scale cannot be used alone to assess walking tolerance but as it offers qualitative information it may be used to supplement pressure measurements in the assessment of incapacity caused by intermittent claudication.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peräkylä
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lindholm
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lepäntalo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000842:Ankle / Q000503:physiopathology; D001132:Arm / Q000503:physiopathology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires