When someone is suspected of having atherosclerosis (plaque) buildup in the the arteries of the legs (called Peripheral Arterial Disease or “PAD”), typically your SPCVA physician will begin the workup with non-invasive vascular testing including a simple test called Ankle-Brachial Index (“ABI”).
An ABI is a simple mathematic ratio of the blood pressure in the ankle related to the blood pressure in the arm. In the absence of plaque obstructing blood flow to the legs, the pressure will be equal in the legs and arm. Whereas when there is siginificang plaque in the leg obstructing flow, the pressure will be lower in the leg, thereby making the ABI low. This simple non invasive test is fairly reliable in detecting obstructive PAD. Equally importantly, there is also some prognostic information associated with an abnormal ABI and cardiovascular morbidity.
SPCVA vascular lab will provide ABI testing for your physician to provide accurate diagnosis and outstanding cutting edge vascular treatment for PAD.
