The Value of Ankle Brachial Index in Predicting the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Ankle brachial index (ABI) is a simple clinical test used for detection of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in asymptomatic patient and is related to the severity of atherosclerosis. Aim of work:To evaluate ABI in patient with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) and correlate its value with the severity of CAD assessed by SYNTAX score. Patients and Method: ABI was assessed by standard Doppler ultrasound technique in 500 adult patient referred for coronary angiography for suspected CAD. The severity of CAD was assessed by 2 intervention cardiologist blinded for ABI data calculating the SYNTAX score (SS1).Results: A highly significant negative correlation was observed between ABI and SS1 (r = 0.05 P< 0.001) and patient with low ABI had a signifantly higher SS1 as compared to patient with normal ABI (P<0.001).Higher prevalence of male sex, hypertension, smoking and dyslipidemia was found in patients with low ABI Vs normal ABI. Conclusion: ABI can be used as a simple cheap clinical test for prediction of severity of CAD and for decision making in selection of patients for diagnostic coronary angiography.