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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

A Methodological Approach to Non-invasive Assessments of Vascular Function and Morphology
Published on: February 7, 2015
Photoplethysmography, an easy and accurate method for measuring ankle brachial pressure index: can
Nader Khandanpour1, Matthew P Armon, Barbara Jennings
1Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, Vascular Surgery Unit, UK. nkh950@yahoo.com
Objective:
To assess the accuracy of ankle brachial pressure index (ABPI) assessed by photoplethysmography (PPG) compared with continuous wave Doppler (CW-Doppler).
Methods:
Ankle brachial pressure index was measured in a standard manner using both PPG and Doppler probes. For PPG-ABPI, a PPG probe was placed on the index finger and great toe, and a microcomputer determined the ABPI. These values were compared with the ABPI measured manually using an 8-MHz Doppler probe. Correlation and agreement between PPG and Doppler ABPI were assessed by Lin's correlation coefficient and Bland-Altman plots.
Results:
In all, 133 claudicants were assessed. There was a strong correlation between the 2 ABPI methods (beta = .79 and 95% limits of agreement of -0.23 to 0.24).
Conclusion:
Measuring ABPI automatically using the PPG technique is an effective alternative for Doppler ABPI. PPG-ABPI is completely objective, fast, and accurate.
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