[The necessary advantage of measuring the pulsatile arterial flow of the limbs in patients with arterial disease].

Proper determination of vascular haemodynamics requires measurement of flow and pressure. The objective of this study is to provide methods of measurement of the arterial flow, which may currently be performed via an external approach. The techniques in question include non-invasive electromagnetic flowmetry (NMF) and flowmetry by NMR. NMF uses external magnets, the signal is collected by common cutaneous electrodes; the equipment is simple and may be used in a cardio-angeiology office. It main advantage lies in the screening of arterial diseases (very reproductable and sensitive), monitoring of the treatment (unrelated to the operator), study of hardened arteries (diabetes). Flowmetry by NMR requires a more sophisticated and costly equipment; it permits staged measurements, as well as a scan permitting measurements in one single artery; it is mostly used in specialized centres. Arterial lesions may be defined as not yet significant when only the blood pressure is considered, while the pulsatile flow is already altered; transluminal angioplasties performed in these circumstances, permit to restore the clinical picture as well as increasing twofold the initial flow.