ABSTRACT

Ankle-brachial index is the ratio of blood pressure measured from arms and legs, and it can be calculated easily during routine physical examination. It has been shown to be useful in the diagnosis of peripheral arterial diseases of lower extremities. In this study, we aimed to find out whether ankle-brachial index can be used in assessing the severity of coronary artery disease. The study included 47 consecutive patients (58±10 years old; 36 males and 11 females) who underwent coronary angiography at the Cardiology Clinics of Gülhane Military Medical Academy. Before the coronary angiography, patients were asked to fill a datacollecting form including the demographic data and disease features, and arterial blood pressure was measured from both arms and legs during physical examination. The ratio of the mean blood pressure value of the legs to that of the arms was used in estimating ankle-brachial index. The severity of the coronary artery disease was assessed according to the number of vessels with more than 60% stenosis. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the relationsip between the severity of coronary artery disease and anklebrachial index. There was significant difference between the normal subjects and subjects with coronary artery diseases with respect to ankle-brachial index (1.14±0.11 vs 0.96±0.18; p=0.001). There was a significant relationship between the severity of coronary artery disease and ankle-brachial index (r=0.48; p=0.0006). In conclusion, there is a significant correlation between ankle-brachial index, an easily obtained index and the severity of coronary artery disease. It is possible to predict the severity of coronary artery disease using ankle-brachial index estimated after physical examination.