Reactive hyperemia vs treadmill exercise testing in arterial disease.

We compared the ankle pressure response during reactive hyperemia to the response to treadmill exercise in 28 limbs of 14 normal individuals and 26 legs of 15 patients with arterial occlusive disease. The mean percent maximum drop in ankle blood pressure during reactive hyperemia in normal limbs, 17% +/- 11% (+/- 1 SD) was significantly less than that of legs with arterial disease, 54% +/- 15% (P less than .001). Abnormal values were recorded in all but three diseased limbs. There was good correlation between the ankle pressure responses to reactive hyperemia and treadmill exercise (r = 0.71, P less than .001). This study suggests that measurement of ankle pressure during reactive hyperemia may be a useful substitute for treadmill testing to determine the functional capacity of the circulation during stress in patients with arterial occlusive disease. Reactive hyperemia testing requires less time and equipment and may be performed in patients who might be at risk or unable to carry out treadmill exercise.