The Vascular Resistance in the Arteries of the Lower Leg in Normal Subjects and in Patients with Different Degrees of Atherosclerotic Disease

Abstract

Blood pressure just below the knee and at the ankle, and blood flow in the calf and in the forefoot were measured at rest and during postischemic reactive hyperemia in 6 normal subjects and in 14 patients with atherosclerosis obliterans. At rest only slight differences between the calf and the ankle blood pressure were found in the normal subjects and in most of the patients. During postischemic reactive hyperemia marked pressure differences occurred, especially in the patients. No consistent difference was found in the flow resistance in the lower leg arteries between patients without and patients with significant atherosclerotic changes of the lower leg arteries, as judged from the arteriography. The study suggests that arteriography is of limited value in the evaluation of the distal vascular bed in patients with atherosclerotic obliterations. It is demonstrated that the ankle blood pressure measured at rest cannot be used as a measure for the calf blood pressure during reactive hyperemia. The discrepancy between inflow in calf and forefoot which may be observed during reactive hyperemia can be explained by differences in the supply pressure.

Key Words:

• Atherosclerosis obliterans
• blood flow
• blood flow resistance
• blood pressure
• plethysmography