Experience with Doppler investigations in vibration syndrome.

The aim of this study was to examine the possibility of applying Doppler flowmetry in diagnosing vascular changes in workers exposed to vibration. Polish, directional, continuous-wave Doppler apparatus UDP-10, has been used for evaluation of multisegmental blood pressure, velocity flow tracing and for making an ultrasonic "map" of the upper limbs. The thermal test used in this investigation allowed us to distinguish functional and organic alterations in the hand arteries. The present study has been performed in 113 workers, employed in an iron casting company and exposed to vibration. The control group comprised 62 healthy men. Raynaud's phenomenon has been found in 34 workers. It has been confirmed that Doppler equipment is a safe, noninvasive technique, with a high percentage of diagnostic accuracy and is a great aid in establishing the severity of symptoms in patients with vasospastic disease. As a result of our study the diagram for diagnosing patients with vasospastic disease has been elaborated and presented in this work.