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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Non-invasive Assessment of Microvascular and Endothelial Function
Published on: January 29, 2013
[Use of the ankle/arm index obtained by echo-Doppler as a diagnostic method in peripheral arteriopathies in primary
M C Pérez Suárez1, C Díaz Escandón
1Centro de Salud de Sama, Asturias.
Objective:
To describe the use of the ankle/arm index obtained by echo-doppler as a method of assessing patients with a clinical picture suggesting peripheral arteriopathy.
Setting:
Sama de Langreo Health Centre (Asturias).
Patients:
83 patients (166 cases) between 23 and 90, who attended for treatment and had a possible diagnosis of peripheral arteriopathy.
Measurements And Main Results:
The existence of pedal and posterior tibial pulses was explored by echo-doppler; then the arm/ankle index was calculated. Data on age, sex and concomitant pathologies were collected. The pedal pulse was negative in 11.4%, the posterior tibial in 9.2%. The arm/ankle index was significantly lower in males (0.86) than in women (1.07) (Student's t test 5.11, p < 0.0001). It was lower in diabetics (0.896) than in non-diabetics (0.95), but this was not significant (Student's t 0.99, p < 0.323).
Conclusions:
Echo-doppler measurement of the ankle-arm index is confirmed as a valid instrument to assist diagnosis and assessment of the severity of ischaemia in Primary Care patients whose clinical picture suggests peripheral arteriopathy.
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