Can reactive hyperemia be used instead of exercise test in assessment of mild intermittent claudication

Background and Aims: Purpose of the study was to find out if reactive hyper emia stress test could serve as an alternative for treadmill exercise test in assessment of mild intermittent claudication (IC). Material and Methods: A total of 22 claudicants with resting ankle brachial index (ABI) ranging from 0.61 to 1.23 were stressed with progressive tread mill exercise test and suprasystolic thigh occlusion test to provoke reacti ve hyperemia. Immediate pressure measurements were obtained after the test. Results: ABI drop after progressive exercise test was in average 0.29 and a fter reactive hyperemia 0.16. The pressures indices after these stress test s correlated well (r = 0.82). The tests were equally good in detecting mild arteriosclerotic disease. Conclusions: In conclusion, although postexercise ABI was able to detect mi ld aterosclerotic disease as the reason for IC with a better marginal than hyperemia test both methods are useful. In circumstances where the patient is for some reason unable to carry out treadmill test reactive hyperemia te st is an alternative for differential diagnosis. This enables vascular surg eons to improve their diagnostics without vascular laboratory.