Impedance Plethysmography as an Alternative Measure of Reactive Hyperemia

Peripheral vascular flow in response to induced reactive hyperemia of the radial artery is used as a benchmark for non-invasive assessment of the endothelial function. As an alternative to standard modalities, this study investigates the suitability of impedance plethysmography to estimate peripheral vascular flow variations associated with the reactive hyperemia process. Results indicate a consistent variation of bio-impedance during the reactive hyperemia process at higher measurement frequencies and these variations are compatible with a standard tissue impedance model. Further, calculated features of bioimpedance has shown the capability of differentiating healthy and diabetic groups which is useful in estimating the endothelial dysfunction.