Distribution of intravenously injected 201thallium in the legs duging walking. A new test for assessing arterial insufficiency in the legs.

There is a multitude of method for assessing the efficiency of the arterial circulation in the legs. Most of these methods can give conclusive information about the patency of the main arteries in the leg; the level of an arterial obstruction can also be estimated. However, none of these methods provides a direct estimate of the functional importance of arterial lesions of light to moderate severity. The present report describes preliminary findings of the distribution of intravenously injected 201Thallium, a potassium analogue, in the legs during exercise provoking symptoms of ischemia. From this pilot study the general impression is that the thallium uptake pattern corresponds well with the clinical, physiologic, and angiographic picture.