Doppler assessment of blood flow to the lower limb associated with total knee arthroplasty.

Arterial blood flow was assessed before and after operation by the pressure index method (Doppler ultrasonography), in 51 consecutive patients treated with primary total knee arthroplasty. This method was chosen since it is non-invasive, inexpensive, easy to apply and readily available in most hospitals. It is a sensitive technique for assessing flow in occlusive arterial disease. Moderate arterial disease, correction of moderate knee deformity and tourniquet times of up to 2 h did not significantly affect postoperative blood flow when compared with the preoperative assessment. It can be concluded that total knee arthroplasty did not significantly affect blood flow to the distal leg except in one case of severe occlusive vascular disease.