Transcutaneous oximetry in evaluation of the initial peripheral artery disease in diabetics

This study was performed to evaluate the reliability of transcutaneous oximetry as compared with strain gauge plethysmography and with Doppler in the assessment of the initial peripheral vascular disease in diabetics who are still asymptomatic. Twenty-five diabetics (38 lower extremities) with different degrees of peripheral vascular disease, classified according to Fontaine, were investigated. Ten healthy subjects (16 lower extremities) served as controls. In the first group of patients (still asymptomatic) it was possible to select by transcutaneous oximetry and by plethysmography a subpopulation that presented a significant reduction in the arterial flow of the limbs. Moreover, a significant correlation between data obtained by strain gauge plethysmography and transcutaneous oximetry was found (p less than 0.001), whereas correlation with data from Doppler was lacking.