[Raynaud's syndrome: study of fingertip blood flow by plethysmography with venous occlusion (author's transl)]

Abstract

The fingertip blood flow was measured by venous occlusion plethysmography in a room at 22 degrees C, in 52 patients with Raynaud's syndrome and 24 healthy controls. In severe Raynaud's syndroms (24 cases incuding: scleroderma: 7 cases, thromboangitis: 5 cases, disabling syndrom without known etiology: 12 cases), the flow was significantly lower than in moderate Raynaud's syndroms (19 cases including 10 primary and 9 secondary syndroms) i.d. 7.5 +/- 7.3 ml versus 25 +/- 15 ml (p < 0.001). Controls had significantly higher flow (35 +/- 12.3 ml) than moderate Raynaud's syndroms (p < 0.05). Raynaud's syndroms with permanent acrocyanosis had a low flow (8.7 +/- 5.3 ml) not different from severe syndroms.