Finger systolic blood pressure measurements after finger cooling. Using the laser-Doppler method for assessing vibration-induced white finger.

Finger systolic blood pressure (FSBP) measurements after finger and body cooling using a strain-gauge plethysmograph is a useful objective test for diagnosing Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). Body cooling, however, is uncomfortable to subjects. In this study, the measurements of FSBP after finger cooling without body cooling, using Digitmatic DM2000 (Medimatic) combined with laser-Doppler flowmetry (ALF2100 Advance), were performed in 99 vibration-exposed men (40 men without RP, 39 men with mild RP, and 20 men with severe RP) and 13 healthy controls. This method is relatively useful for assessing the severity of vibration-induced white finger (VWF).