[Phosphorus-31 NMR spectrometry of the calf muscles in patients with arterial claudication. Preliminary results].

Phosphorus NMR spectrometry allows non-invasive exploration in vivo of certain aspects of muscle energy metabolism. A study was conducted in 10 healthy volunteers and 12 patients with lower limb affections (stage II claudication) to define a precise methodology and to discuss perspectives offered by this new method, in the light of preliminary findings. Changes with time of amplitude of peaks of phosphocreatine (Pcr), inorganic phosphorus (Pi) and ATP, and of intracellular pH, showed that recovery of 80% of resting value of the ratio Pcr/Pi + Pcr after quantified exercise is a very discriminatory parameter correlated with severity of arteriographic findings in patients with claudication.