Can reactive hyperemia be used instead of exercise test in assessment of mild intermittent claudication.
OBJECTIVE
Purpose of the study was to find out if reactive hyperemia stress test could serve as an alternative for treadmill exercise test in assessment of mild intermittent claudication (IC).


METHODS
A total of 22 claudicants with resting ankle brachial index (ABI) ranging from 0.61 to 1.23 were stressed with progressive treadmill exercise test and suprasystolic thigh occlusion test to provoke reactive hyperemia. Immediate pressure measurements were obtained after the test.


RESULTS
ABI drop after progressive exercise test was in average 0.29 and after reactive hyperemia 0.16. The pressures indices after these stress tests correlated well (r = 0.82). The tests were equally good in detecting mild arteriosclerotic disease.


CONCLUSIONS
In conclusion, although postexercise ABI was able to detect mild atherosclerotic disease as the reason for IC with a better marginal than hyperemia test both methods are useful. In circumstances where the patient is for some reason unable to carry out treadmill test reactive hyperemia test is an alternative for differential diagnosis. This enables vascular surgeons to improve their diagnostics without vascular laboratory.
Peräkylä
T
T
Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. tarja.perakyla@huch.fi
Lindholm
T
T
Lepäntalo
M
M
D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000503:physiopathology; D005080:Exercise Test; D006801:Humans; D006940:Hyperemia; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012039:Regional Blood Flow