The value of Doppler blood velocity tracings in the detection of aortoiliac disease in patients with intermittent claudication.

Velocity tracings obtained with a Doppler ultrasound probe located over the common femoral artery have been evaluated as to their ability to predict the state of the proximal aortoiliac segment. Aortography was used as the assessor of the extent of aortoiliac disease. Five parameters of the tracings sensitive only to aortoiliac disease were submitted to miltivariate analysis. The probability of the aortoiliac segment having greater or less than 10% stenosis was calculated. In 86% of limbs, a high probability of diagnostic value and practical use resulted.