Ankle brachial index
Updates to Article Attributes
Ankle brachial index (ABI) is a means of detecting and quantifying peripheral arterial disease. It can be performed in conjuction with ultrasound for better results.
Indications
Many patients with peripheral arterial disease may be asymptomatic (~20-50%), but they may also present with
- limb pain / claudication
- critical limb ischemia
- chest pain
Procedure
Equipment
- blood pressure cuff
- pulse volume recording (PVR) Doppler ultrasound
- grayscale duplex Doppler can be useful to map the arterial disease and problem solve
- for mapping, evaluate the iliac arteries, common femoral arteries, the proximal, mid, and distal femoral arteries, popliteal artery, and the tibial and peroneal artery run offs
- evaluated acceleration times, velocities, and waveforms in the segments
Technique
A blood pressure cuff or ultrasound is used to evaluate the pressure in the brachial artery in both arms and the anterior and posterior tibial arteries in both legs.
The higher of the two brachial artery pressures is used for the index.
The higher of the anterior or posterior tibial artery pressures is used for the index.
Radiographic features
The index is a ratio of the pressure in the highest ankle artery / the highest brachial artery
- 1.0-1.4: Normal
- 0.90-0.99 Borderline
- <0.9: Abnormal
There is a special category for an index 1.3-1.4 or above. These vessels are considered "noncompressible", and this is either because the arteries are very healthy or because there is heavy arteriolosclerotic or atherosclerotic calcification in the artery, preventing compression. The ultrasound waveform of the artery helps differentiate between these possibilities.
Outcomes
ABI values correlate with morbidity and mortality of not only the affected lower limb, but also with cardiovascular risk 2.
- ABI <0.90: 10% chance of cardiac event in 5 years
- ABI <0.70: ~20% chance of cardiac event in 5 years
-<p><strong>Ankle brachial index (ABI)</strong> is a means of detecting and quantifying <a href="/articles/peripheral-arterial-disease">peripheral arterial disease</a> with ultrasound.</p><h4>Indications</h4><p>Many patients with peripheral arterial disease may be asymptomatic (~20-50%), but they may also present with</p><ul>- +<p><strong>Ankle brachial index (ABI)</strong> is a means of detecting and quantifying <a href="/articles/peripheral-arterial-disease">peripheral arterial disease</a>. It can be performed in conjuction with ultrasound for better results.</p><h4>Indications</h4><p>Many patients with peripheral arterial disease may be asymptomatic (~20-50%), but they may also present with</p><ul>