A comparison of the Doppler-derived maximal systolic acceleration versus the ankle-brachial pressure index or detecting and quantifying peripheral arterial occlusive disease in diabetic patients
Aim The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of the Doppler derived maximal systolic acceleration (ACC(max)) as a novel technique for evaluating peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) in patients with diabetes mellitus, who are known for a falsely elevated ankle-brachial index (ABI). Methods. In this retrospective analysis ACC(max) was measured at ankle level in a series of 163 consecutive patients referred to the vascular laboratory for initial assessment of PAOD. Patients were classified according to the presence or absence of diabetes. In the non-diabetic patients PAOD was defined as ABI 10 m/s(2) was found to be highly predictive for the exclusion of PAOD (negative predictive value 95%). In addition, the ACC(max) cut-off value of <6.5 m/s(2) was highly predictive for the detection of PAOD (positive predictive value 99%). A strong quadratic association was found between ACC(max) and ABI in the non-diabetic group (R-2=0.85). In the diabetic patients R-2 values were 0.81 and 0.79 after ABI and TBI measurement respectively. Conclusion. DUS-derived ACC(max) an accurate marker that could offer significant benefits for the diagnosis of PAOD, especially in diabetic patients.Vascular Surger
