Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Interventional Diagnostic Procedure: A Practical Guide for the Assessment of Coronary Vascular Function
Published on: March 15, 2022
[Doppler velocimetric evaluation of the reliability of Allen's test for radial artery catheterization]
Abstract:
The result of Allen's test was compared with the variations in the Doppler flow recording of the thumb artery after compression of the radial artery in 76 volunteers. In five cases, manual compression let to a disappearance systolic flow, showing an absence of collateral ulnar circulation. In fifteen cases, the systolic flow was greatly reduced in the thumb. It is interesting to find that 14.6 per cent of the subjects have their two hands in a different classification (asymmetric subjects). In 99.34 per cent of the cases the results of these two methods was the same. The routine use of Allen's test before radial artery catheterization is fully justified by these results.
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