[Transcutaneous measurement of oxygen partial pressure. A new method for functional study in vascular pathology]

A polarographic electrode was used for non-invasive transcutaneous measurement of partial oxygen pressure (PO2, oxygen tension) in healthy subjects (controls) and in patients with arteritis. The mean oxygen tension value on the dorsum of the foot in controls (n = 32) was 67.9 +/- 8.1 mmHg; individual values were inversely correlated with age and were distributed along a gaussian curve; mean differences on repeated measurements were 4 mmHg at 3 hours and 7.3 mmHg at 24 hours, which is extremely good. Patients with arteritis (n = 43) had a mean oxygen tension value of 41.5 +/- 20.7 mmHg; after adjustment for age the difference was significant (p less than 0.001). Oxygen tension values in patients with intermittent claudication were not different from those found in controls, but they were lower in patients with gangrene and with pain on decubitus. In the diagnosis of cutaneous ischaemia, the sensitivity of the test was 96%, its specificity 82%, its positive predictive value 79%, its negative predictive value 96% and its reliability 89%. These results suggest that the method will be increasingly used in vascular pathology.