Muscle blood flow in peripheral vascular disease

Physiotherapists are often involved in the post-operative management and rehabilitation of the lower limb amputee. Seldom, however, does one see the usual presentation of peripheral vascular disease - ischaemia of the muscles on exercise, ie: intermittent claudication. This article discusses a technique for demonstrating limitation in exercise blood flow - the basis of this symptom. Thallium 201 scanning is extensively used in demonstrating areas of reduced blood flow to one important muscle, the heart, and this technique can be extrapolated to the muscles of the leg. Twenty-two patients being studied with Thallium-201 for suspected coronary artery disease had the muscles of the lower limb scanned with a gamma camera. The photographs obtained form the basis of this article.