The papaverine test for blood flow potential of the profunda femoris artery.

In reconstructive surgery of the arteries, the inflow tract is as important as the distal runoff. Since information about the hemodynamic significance of either cannot be obtained from an arteriogram , accurate assessment of flow within the arterial segment to be reconstructed must be obtained by other means. A functional pharmacologic test, consisting of the intra-arterial injection of 30 milligrams of papaverine hydrochloride which, under normal circumstances, can usually induce a 100 per cent increase, or more, in basal blood flow has been used to define theoretic maximum flow capacity by means of a linear quantitative relationships. The test also can unmask any undetected lesions in the inflow tract or technical errors occurring at the time of operations. From the results of this study, it is apparent that the use of a pharmacologic test for flow rate has demonstrated that profundaplasty makes a significant contribution to relieving symptoms of ischemia in the lower limb. This, in turn, brings about the resolution of certain types of tissue necrosis distally and safely improves the quality of life.