A laser Doppler technique for measuring distal blood-pressure: a comparison with conventional strain-gauge technique.

Twenty-five patients with peripheral circulatory disorders were examined by laser Doppler and strain-gauge techniques to compare these methods of measuring distal systolic blood-pressure. The correlation coefficients for simultaneous measurement of toe and ankle systolic blood-pressures were high, 0.98 and 0.99 respectively. The correlation coefficient for successive measurements of toe pressure was lower, 0.83, probably because of a variation in blood-pressure with time. The laser Doppler method seems to be more sensitive than the strain-gauge method in the low-pressure range. The laser Doppler probe is easy to attach to most skin surfaces and the laser Doppler technique may be, therefore, an alternative and a complement to the strain-gauge method when the strain-gauge is difficult to use on damaged or ulcerous toes and feet.