J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 83(10): 1233-1240, 1982

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Original article

QUTANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF ISCHEMIC LEGS BEFORE AND AFTER ARTERIAL RECONSTRUCTIONS BY TRANSCUTANEOUS OXYGEN TENSION MEASUREMENT

Availability of transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPo2) as an indicator of impaired skin circulation was investigated in chronic arterial occlusive disease, especially as to the operative effectiveness before and after arterial reconstruction.
tcPo2 was measured at pretibial and dorsal region under three different conditions (at rest, on exercise loading, and duringo xygen inhalation) before, one week after, and three weeks after operation, respectively.
Pretibial tcPo2 increased significantly one week after operation, but more increase of the tcPo2 was not recognized over a period ranging from one to three weeks postoperatively.
In patients with good results, the tcPo2 markedly increased to the normal value (mean tcPo2±S.D. of controls). On the other hand, in three patients, intermittent claudication continued and their tcPo2 stayed at the preopei:ative value below the normal value postoperatively.
Improvement of skin circulation evaluated with tcPo2 corresponded well with recovery of ischemic symptoms according to Fontaine’s classification.
tcPo2 does not only show us oxygen tension in the skin objectively as an information of ischemic state, but also suggests functional severity of diseased legs, non-invasively and continuously. Accordingly, tcPo2 measurement is very useful to evaluate operative effectiveness after arterial reconstruction.

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