[The effect of glycerol trinitrate on the arterial pressure of the fingers].

In 35 patients with healthy vessels, 52 patients with vasospasm and 42 patients with stenoses or obliteration of the finger arteries with the help of the Parks-ultrasound-Doppler device model 806-A and a finger cuff of the size of 3.5 X 5 cm the systolic pressure of the finger arteries was measured before and after the administration of glycerol trinitrate. Since in test persons with healthy vessels no significant differences of the radial and ulnar volar finger artery, of the single fingers of one hand or in the comparison of the sides of the two hands was found, a concentration could be done. The relative and absolute increase of the pressure of the finger artery under glycerol trinitrate was most conspicuous in patients with vasospasm. No essential changes, as we expected, occurred in patients with organic disturbances of the arterial blood supply. Under variation of the lower limits of the norm of the pressure of the finger arteries the high values of the sensitivity, specificity and efficiency which are characteristic for the ultrasound-Doppler pressure measurement, lying over 0.90 particularly after pharmacologic vasodilation.