Determination of blood flow in the lower leg of patients with diabetes mellitus and the effects of treatment with the principle of vitalizing blood and solubilizing thrombus

Abstract

Blood flow in the lower leg was determined in 50 cases of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus using an XLJ-2 bipolar rheoencephalometry impedance rheogram. In patients with leg pain (85 legs) and diabetic foot (15 legs), the blood flow of the lower leg was decreased as compared with healthy legs (P<0.01∼0.001). The group with diabetic foot showed a bigger decrease compared with the leg pain group (P<0.05). After treatment with the principle of vitalizing blood and solubilizing thrombus, 22 cases with leg pain (32 legs) showed a significant increase of blood flow in the lower leg (P<0.001). The group with diabetic foot failed to show any significant increase, indicating the importance of early treatment. This method of determining blood flow in the lower leg will help early discovery of abnormal changes of blood supply in the lower leg. Treatment with the principle of vitalizing blood and solubilizing thrombus can help improve the conditions of the patients. © 1995, The Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine Press. All rights reserved.