The mechanism of calf claudication: studies of simultaneous clearance of 99Tcm from the calf and thigh.

Simultaneous clearance of 99Tcm from the gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles has been studied in 74 limbs of 62 patients with claudication and in 20 normal limbs of 15 volunteers. The local decay curve for 10 min at rest and for 20 min after a 3-min treadmill walk at 4.5 km/h was recorded. The changes in blood flow which occurred after exercise were characteristic of the arteriographic lesions and they explain the haemodynamics of claudication.