The Significance of the Plantar Ischemia Test in the Clinical Diagnosis of Peripheral Arterial Disease

Abstract

In 58 patients suffering from atherosclerosis obliterans of the lower limbs, the results of the plantar ischemia test have been compared with systolic blood pressure at the ankle, blood flow in the forefoot at rest, and maximal blood flow capacity in the forefoot and calf. The correlation between the results of the plantar ischemia test and systolic blood pressure at the ankle was found to be highly significant, while the correlation between the plantar ischemia test and blood flow at rest or during reactive hyperernia was less, although statistically significant. The study showed that by a simple elevation test valuable information may be obtained about the peripheral blood pressure.

Key Words:

• Atherosclerosis obliterans
• blood flow
• blood pressure
• plantar ischemia test