EVALUATION OF PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE BY ELECTROCHEMICAL HYDROGEN CLEARANCE METHOD

Various symptoms in obstructive arterial disease seem to be derived from ischemia due to a decreased blood flow in the peripheral tissues. Diagnostic imaging is usually used to determine the pathological condition of the disease. Determination of tissue blood flow, however, is a more accurate diagnostic method. By using the electrochemical hydrogen clearance method, which is less invasive, tissue blood flow was determined at the ischemic gastrocnemius muscle during rest and exercise, before and after revascularization. With regard to the site of obstruction, tissue blood flow was found to be lower in the peripheral region than in the central. The degree of increase in tissue blood flow during exercise was also lower in cases of obstruction in the peripheral region. Comparison of blood flow before and after revascularization demonstrated the usefulness of determining local tissue blood flow. In addition in cases of diabetic angiopathy, the degree of increase in tissue blood flow during exercise was low, even though there was no obvious obstruction on arteriography, suggesting a pathological nature different from that of arteriosclerosis.