Significance of ankle blood pressure in the diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease.

Lower extremity blood pressure, an accurate indicator of peripheral arterial disease and a sensitive means of evaluating therapy, is easily determined by the Doppler detector either at the bedside or in the physician's office. In conjunction with the exercise tolerance test and the ankle to arm ratio, it permits the physician to follow the course of the disease and assess the results of therapy. The test may also detect and determine the extent of presymptomatic arteriosclerosis obliterans when present in the opposite limb.