Muscle tissue oxygen pressure in patients with arterial occlusive disease

Oxygen pressure histograms were determined with the multiwire surface electrode from the gastrocnemius muscle in patients with arterial occlusive disease and compared with those of healthy volunteers. Seven out of 22 patients had normally distributed histograms like volunteers, but the mean PO2 values were lower than the total mean value of the volunteers. Fifteen patients showed scattered histograms with dominating low PO2 values. Ten out of 11 patients suffering from diabetes mellitus had scattered histograms. When perfusion pressure was impaired by elevating the leg or the musculature was stressed in 7 patients the histograms' form of all these patients changed significantly. Median PO2 fell in all cases with clinically decompensated occlusive disease. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of an occlusion of the superficial femoral artery led to a significant shift of the histogram to higher PO2 values. The scattered histograms of patients suffering from arterial occlusive disease are thought to be caused by an inhomogeneous blood flow probably induced by the closure of arterioles.