Predictive value of intracutaneous xenon clearance for healing of amputation and cutaneous ulcer sites.

A previously reported technique for the assessment of skin blood flow in the lower extremities of patients with ischemic lesions was evaluated using intracutaneous xenon clearance. The radioisotope was injected above and below both the ankle and the knee and flow was measured using a gamma camera with a low-energy collimator, 88-keV photopeak, and a 20% window. Healing was more frequent when skin blood flow was equal to or greater than 2.4 ml/min/100 g (38/39 patients) than when flow was less than 2.4 ml/min/100 g (4/7 patients). The authors conclude that this technique can be used to help determine the appropriate site for amputation in lower limb ischemic lesions.