Objective To determine the clinical utility of physical examination in patients with suspected chronic ischemia of the lower extremities. Data Sources MEDLINE search (January 1966 to January 1997), personal files, and bibliographies of textbooks on physical diagnosis, surgery, and vascular surgery. Study Selection Both authors independently graded the studies as level 1, 2, or 3, according to predetermined criteria. Criteria deemed essential for analysis of sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were (1) clear definition of study population, (2) clear definition of physical examination maneuver, and (3) use of an acceptable criterion standard test for comparison. Results The following positive findings help clinicians diagnose the presence of peripheral arterial disease: abnormal pedal pulses, a unilaterally cool extremity, a prolonged venous filling time, and a femoral bruit. Other physical signs help determine the extent and distribution of vascular disease, including an abnormal femoral pulse, lower-extremity bruits, warm knees, and the Buerger test. The capillary refill test and the findings of foot discoloration, atrophic skin, and hairless extremities are unhelpful in diagnostic decisions. Mathematical formulas, derived from 2 studies using multivariate analysis, allow clinicians to estimate the probability of peripheral arterial disease in their patients. Conclusion Certain aspects of the physical examination help clinicians make accurate judgments about the presence of peripheral arterial disease and its distribution.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/articlepdf/207149/ioi70385.pdf

Physical Examination and Chronic Lower-Extremity Ischemia: A Critical Review

Although thermography has been used for a variety of abnormal conditions, extensive data on large, relatively asymptomatic populations has heretofore not been available. More specifically, no data deal with the upper extremities and, more particularly, no analyses are based on simultaneous thermograms of the posterior neck and shoulders. The current study undertook this task. The results confirm the existence of thermal symmetry in the overwhelming majority of 100 normal relatively asymptomatic, actively employed factory workers. Conversely, if persistent, statistically significant thermal asymmetry exists, as outlined and correlates with patient symptomatology, an organic basis for it should be sought.

H. Forrest

Papers

Thermography in lower limb arterial disease