Ankle-Brachial Index Should Be Measured in Both the Posterior and the Anterior Tibial Arteries in Studies of Peripheral Arterial Disease

• Lower extremity peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a powerful predictor of cardiovascular events and mortality. The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is an objective and standard diagnostic method to diagnose PAD (an ABI ≤0.9 is considered pathological). The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend using both the posterior- and anterior tibial arteries when assessing ABI. We investigated if there was a difference in the diagnosis of PAD if the ABI was measured in the posterior- or the anterior tibial artery. The results showed that among subjects with ABI ≤0.9, between 30% and 40% would not get a PAD diagnosis if the ABI was measured in only 1 of the arteries. In conclusion, this study emphasizes the importance of measuring the ABI in both the posterior tibial and the anterior tibial arteries when diagnosing PAD.

Nyckelord

Ankle-brachial index

posterior tibial artery

anterior tibial artery

peripheral arterial disease

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