Transcutaneous oxygen tension is a useful method with which to assess
the functional status of skin blood flow. The reduced values observed
in diabetic patients have been interpreted as a consequence of periphe
ral vascular disease. However, diabetic patients show lower transcutan
eous oxygen tension values than control subjects with equivalent degre
es of peripheral vascular disease, suggesting that additional factors
are involved. Since the autonomic nervous system influences peripheral
circulation, we studied the relationship between autonomic neuropathy
and foot transcutaneous oxymetry in non-insulin-dependent diabetic (N
IDDM) patients without peripheral vascular disease. The following age-
matched patients were selected and evaluated: control subjects, C, (n
= 20), NIDDM patients without autonomic neuropathy, D, (n = 16) and wi
th autonomic neuropathy, DN, (n = 20). All diabetic patients showed lo
wer transcutaneous oxygen tension values than control subjects, while
no differences were observed between the diabetic patients with and wi
thout autonomic neuropathy. In addition the saturation index that incr
eases in the presence of autonomic neuropathy does not correlate with
foot TcPO2. In conclusion autonomic neuropathy does not influence foot
TcPO2 and therefore it is unlikely that it contributes to development
of foot lesions during induction of foot skin ischaemia.