[Evolution of vasomotor tone in chronic obstructive arteriopathy of the lower limbs]

Progressive degradation in the appearance of digital plethysmogram tracings occurs during acute episodes of occlusive arteriopathies, and is of importance for establishing the diagnosis and the choice of therapy. The distal microvasculotissular score is of major interest during the stages defined by R. Fontaine in 1966. Changes are in fact those of rheologic factors in the terminal network. It is logical to incriminate variations in "tone" and of vasomotor response, the final relay being at the site distal to the circulatory units and their endothelial receptors. The problem should be envisaged at each stage in the course of the disease. Vasoplasticity is a function of the severity of the arteriopathy.