title: Impedance plethysmography as an alternative method for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease (PAD), the ankle-brachial index (ABI) is considered as the standard, and other noninvasive methods have received too little attention. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of impedance plethysmography in diagnosing PAD and to compare this method with other methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 66 patients with a mean age of 76.1±9.6 years who had been treated for various cardiovascular diseases at Kaunas Clinical Hospital during 2011-2012 were enrolled into the study. All the patients were screened for PAD. Impedance plethysmography was performed with a new-generation Niccomo™ device. The receiver operating characteristic analysis was employed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of 4 parameters of impedance plethysmography: crest time (CT), crest width (CW), pulse amplitude (Pampl), and alternating blood flow (ABF).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were a significant correlation between the ABI and the CT (r=-0.699, P<0.001), between the ABI and the ABF (r=0.552; P<0.001), and between the ABI and the Pampl only among men (r=0.652; P<0001). No correlation was found between the ABI and the CW. Among all the parameters, the CT had the highest sensitivity and specificity (73.2% and 96.0%, respectively). Other parameters had the following sensitivities and specificities: ABF, 61.0% and 96.0%; and Pampl, 90.0% and 20.0%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Impedance plethysmography, especially its parameter CT, is an alternative noninvasive method in diagnosing PAD and could be used for the screening of patients with PAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania. Electronic address: edita.masanauskiene@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Edita
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mašanauskienė
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Saulius
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sadauskas
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Albinas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naudžiūnas
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Alvydas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Unikauskas
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Edgaras
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stankevičius
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055109:Ankle Brachial Index; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D058729:Peripheral Arterial Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010992:Plethysmography, Impedance
keywords: Ankle-brachial index; Impedance plethysmography; Peripheral arterial disease