Cyclandelate: effect on circulatory measurements and exercise tolerance in chronic arterial insufficiency of the lower limbs.

Thirty-nine patients with arterial insufficiency of the lower limbs were treated with cyclandelate or placebo in a double-blind cross-over study, to evaluate the effect of this drug on symptomatic and physiologic indicators of circulatory status. The following measurements were used: skin temperature of the big toe and dorsum of the foot; blood flow in the calf at rest and after exercise on a foot ergometer to the point of claudication; walking distance to the development of claudication; exercise tolerance on a foot ergometer; and reflex vasoconstriction on the skin of the toe in response to cooling of the upper extremities. During treatment with cyclandelate, significant improvement occurred in each of these measures of circulatory efficiency.