Evaluation of postischemic hyperemia on the skin using laser Doppler velocimetry: study on patients with claudicatio intermittens.

A method for evaluating reactive postischemic hyperemia on the skin using the laser Doppler velocimeter is described. The study was conducted on healthy subjects and on patients affected by chronic occlusive arterial disease of the lower limbs at the second clinical stage. The laser Doppler probe is applied to the pulp of the hallux and the inflatable cuff is used for the transient occlusion of arteries both around the thigh and around the ankle. The data obtained are significant for differences between patients and controls and suggest that the cutaneous postischemic hyperemia test is of diagnostic value. The test may be used both for screening and in the follow-up of the peripheral occlusive arterial disease.