Noninvasive assessment of the peripheral vascular system.

Forty-five limbs varying clinically from normal through moderate to severely ischemic were studied by noninvasive measurements of both arterial blood pressure and perfusion. From the values plotted on a two-coordinate system, they arranged themselves well into three clinical categories: (1) normal, (2) intermittent claudication, and (3) ischemia or ulceration and rest pain. Good clinical responses to arterial reconstruction were corroborated by postoperative measurements. Reinforcing the results of one measurement with those of the other has provided an objective, numerical, and graphic basis for decisions regarding the advisability of angiography or arterial reconstructive procedures or both. To date, almost 400 patients have been evaluated by these techniques.