[Comparison of humeral blood flow during rewarming and recooling of the hand in normal subjects or presenting Raynaud's phenomenon]

Vascular reactivity to heat and cold was studied in 11 normal subjects without vascular disease and in 23 patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (etiologies: Raynaud's disease, scleroderma, thoracic outlet syndrome). The study of hand and digital temperatures and brachial artery blood flow was performed in ambiant conditions (room temperature 23.5 +/- 1 degree C) and after thermal (cold or warm exposure: 10, 33 and 40 degrees C), mechanical and metabolic modifications (with a wrist tourniquet). In these conditions, blood flow was studied at each temperature, before, during and after 3 minutes ischemia of the hand. Analysis of results showed that vasomotricity possibilities were preserved but that responses were not identical. Patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon, and even more those with scleroderma as well, had reduced brachial artery blood flow after cooling (10 degrees C). After ischemia, maximal blood flow was also reduced. The microcirculatory disease existing in Raynaud's phenomenon limits the vasodilator capacity of hand vessels, but probably more in tissues with vascular lesions. Vasodilation seems to be limited during exposure to low well as high temperatures, but vasoconstriction capacity is not disturbed.