133Xe muscle clearance: a screening test for arterial occlusive disease

133Xe muscle clearance following ischemic exercise provides a simple, well-tolerated screening procedure for evaluating patients suspected of having arterial occlusive disease in the lower extremeties and may be useful in the follow-up of patients who have undergone corrective arterial surgery. It can be performed in nuclear medicine units capable of doing renography, and the authors feel it should be used prior to undertaking more invasive procedures such as arteriography. Methods and results of tests involding 92 legs in men are described.