473-132 | Comparison of Doppler and Oscillometric Methods of Assessing Ankle-Brachial Index in Non-diabetic Premenopausal Women in Ghana-JVU 473-132

JVU 473-132

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Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a progressive disorder characterized by narrowing or blockage of large and medium-sized arteries in the extremities. The burden of PAD is shifting from high-income to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with a significant number of people living with PAD in sub-Saharan Africa. PAD can cause symptoms such as intermittent claudication (fatigue, cramping, pain) and can lead to tissue loss, infection, and amputation. <br /><br />The ankle-brachial index (ABI) is a non-invasive test used to screen for PAD. A study conducted in Ghana compared the diagnostic characteristics of the oscillometric method (using an automated cuff-based device) with the "gold standard" Doppler method for measuring ABI in non-diabetic premenopausal women. The study found that the oscillometric method performed well in diagnosing PAD, with an accuracy of 88.2% and a high overall agreement with the Doppler method. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the oscillometric method were 89.7%, 87.6%, 71.4%, and 96.1%, respectively. An area under the curve (AUC) analysis showed that the oscillometric method had an AUC of 0.925 compared to the Doppler method.<br /><br />The findings of this study indicate that the oscillometric method of measuring ABI can be used as a reliable and practical alternative to the Doppler method in diagnosing PAD in non-diabetic premenopausal women. The oscillometric method is less time-consuming, requires less training, and is operator-independent. However, the availability and affordability of oscillometric devices may be a challenge in LMICs. Nonetheless, the study highlights the potential of using the oscillometric method in resource-constrained settings for screening and diagnosing PAD.

Keywords

Peripheral arterial disease

PAD

narrowing arteries

extremities

intermittent claudication

ankle-brachial index

ABI

oscillometric method

Doppler method

diagnostic characteristics