Olavi A, Kolari PJ, Esa A.
Edema and lower leg perfusion in patients with post-traumatic dysfunction.
Acupunct Electrother Res 1991;16(1-2):7-11

Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Kuopio University Central Hospital,
Finland.

Impedancegraphy and laser Doppler flowmetry were used to measure whether limb
circulation changes following post-traumatic immobilization and edema. Intermittent
pneumatic compression was used for edema treatment. Limb blood flow due to edema
was unchanged compared to the contralateral healthy leg. Intermittent pneumatic
compression reduced edema very significantly (p less than 0.001). Intermittent
compression showed a slight but significant (p less than 0.01) improvement in
impedancegraph blood flow after treatment. Laser Doppler skin blood flow decreased
non-significantly following the compression treatment.