Arterial Plethysmography- Why am I having this test?
Arterial plethysmography is done to:
- Help diagnose a blood vessel condition.
- Check for a blockage in an artery (arterial occlusive disease). Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.
- Monitor treatment of arterial occlusive disease.
What is being tested?
This test measures the blood flow in the arteries of your arms and legs.
How do I prepare for this test?
- Wear loose clothing.
- Do notuse any tobacco products, including cigarettes, chewing tobacco, or e-cigarettes, for at least 30 minutes before the test.
Tell a health care provider about:
- All medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbs, eye drops, creams, and over-the-counter medicines.
- Any tobacco or nicotine use.
- Any blood disorders you have.
- Any medical conditions you have.
What happens during the test?
- Blood
pressure cuffs will be placed on:
- Your arms.
- Your ankles, calves, and thighs.
- The cuffs will be used to measure the pressure inside your arteries when your heart pumps (systolic blood pressure).
- A device called a pulse volume recorder will be used to measure the pulses in your arteries. The recorder makes a graph of your pulse readings.
The pulse waves or blood pressure readings from your arms will be compared to the pulse waves or blood pressure readings from your legs.
How are the results reported?
Your test results will be reported as pressure readings in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), or as a ratio of your leg pressures to your arm pressures (ankle/brachial ratio). Your health care provider will compare your results to normal ranges that were established after testing a large group of healthy people (reference ranges). Reference ranges may vary among labs and hospitals. For this test, common reference ranges are:
- An ankle/brachial ratio of 0.9–1.3.
- A difference of less than 20 mm Hg between the systolic blood pressure in your leg and your arm.
Your health care provider will also look at the graph of your pulse readings. A normal result will show:
- A steep upswing, a narrow peak, and a gentle downward slope on the pulse volume recorder.
What do the results mean?
Normal results mean that your blood vessels are healthy. If you are already diagnosed with arterial occlusive disease, normal results may mean that your treatment is working well.
Results that show a difference of 20 mm Hg or greater, or an ankle/brachial ratio that is less than 0.9, may mean that you have:
- Hardening and narrowing of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
- Arterial occlusive disease.
- Certain other blood vessel diseases.
- A blood clot in an artery.
- An injured or damaged artery.
Talk with your health care provider about what your results mean.
Questions to ask your health care provider
Ask your health care provider, or the department that is doing the test:
- When will my results be ready?
- How will I get my results?
- What are my treatment options?
- What other tests do I need?
- What are my next steps?
Summary
- Arterial plethysmography is a test that helps diagnose blood vessel conditions and monitor treatment of arterial occlusive disease.
- A health care provider will attach several blood pressure cuffs to your arms and legs. The cuffs will be used to measure systolic blood pressure.
- A big difference between the readings for your arm and the readings for your leg could mean that you have arterial occlusive disease or other problems with your blood vessels.
- Talk with your health care provider about what your results may mean.
