CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Aug 28, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A 15-minute test that
measures blood flow through the ankle can help identify people with peripheral
artery disease, researchers in North Carolina said.
The test, called an ankle brachial index, could be helpful in screening people
who have already had a stroke or transient ischmic attack, the study by
researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, suggests.
People in those two groups are at risk of suffering another stroke, transient
attack or heart attack that could be fatal, Dr. Souvik Sen, the study's lead
investigator, said.
The ankle test uses a device similar to a blood pressure cuff to measure blood
flow and then compares it with blood flow in the arm. Reduced blood flow is
considered a indicator of peripheral artery disease, Sen said in a release
Thursday.
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