[Value of functional vascular study during endoluminal angioplasty in patients with obliterative arteriopathy of the legs].

Femoral blood flow, circulation time and arterial pressure at different levels, at rest and after a supervised treadmill test, were measured in 20 patients with obliterating arteriopathy of the lower limbs treated by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA), in a context of non-invasive vascular functional investigation. These haemodynamic parameters were measured pre-operatively, on the 1st post-operative day and in some case up to 18 months subsequently. Results on the whole were most satisfactory. In 18 patients, the haemodynamic improvement which was observed on the first post-operative day and confirmed by the clinical course persisted long after PTA; in one patient, with relapse of his haemodynamic signs, repeat angioplasty was carried out; another patient was referred for surgery after further clinical and haemodynamic deterioration. In the diagnosis and haemodynamic monitoring of patients with vascular stenoses, particularly those that have been treated by PTA, non-invasive functional investigation constitutes an important step, which is both effective and simple to carry out.