title: Optical techniques in the assessment of peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: A variety of optical techniques have been developed over the years for experimental use in vascular disease, mainly for the assessment of lower limb peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Optical techniques have several advantages over more traditional experimental approaches. Photoplethysmograph (PPG) was one of the earliest methods used for this purpose; PPG satisfies many of the conditions for a non-invasive technique to estimate skin blood flow using infrared light, not only for research but also in clinical practice. PPG is a promising, safe and easy-to-use tool for diagnosis and early screening of various atherosclerotic pathologies and could be useful for regular GP-assessment or even self-monitoring of PAD at home or during individual physical exercises. This review discusses the application of PPG in the assessment of PAD.
authors.affiliation: Vascular Unit, Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Mohamad E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Alnaeb
authors.forename: Nasser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alobaid
authors.forename: Alexander M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Seifalian
authors.forename: Dimitri P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Mikhailidis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hamilton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017156:Photoplethysmography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity