Quantitation of regional muscle blood flow and oxygen uptake rate at rest and after exercise in arteriopathic patients

We study muscular blood flow (F), oxygen consumption (R) and oxygen extraction (E) in 6 patients suffering from severe unilateral intermittent claudication. We apply the bolus inhalation technique of C¹⁵O₂ and ¹⁵O₂ using detection by positron emission tomography. Tomograms are recorded at the greatest diameter of legs, at rest and after exercise (treadmill walk test).

At rest, F, R and E are similar in normal legs and pathological legs. Ten minutes after exercise, F and R remain more elevated on pathological inferior limbs. E rises in normal and pathological legs. This elevation is only significant on normal side.

Our preliminary results show that during the recovery from a walk test, the remaining increase in oxygen uptake is proportional to the delayed hyperemia among the ischemic muscles with an oxygen extraction of the same order than in the resting condition.