THE OSCILLOMETRIC INDEX

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Abstract
The interpretation of the readings obtained by oscillometry in cases of arterial disease is rendered difficult by the number of factors which may influence the value at any single level of the extremities. For instance, the normal minimum reading at the ankle is given by various observers as I/2,1 1,2 2 to 33 and 3.4 Because of these discrepancies, Atlas5 compared the oscillometric reading at the ankle with that at the wrist and expressed the result in the form of a ratio. Since arteriosclerotic changes usually progress more rapidly in the lower than in the upper extremity, the reading at the wrist may be assumed to represent each patient's approximately normal value, and Atlas demonstrated that this oscillometric index (ankle/wrist) provides a better basis for evaluation of the arterial status in the leg than does an oscillometric reading at any single level of the extremity.

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