Inductive 27.12 MHz diathermy in arterial peripheral vascular disease

Ten patients with moderate to severe arterial peripheral vascular disease (PVD) were monitored during treatment with inductive pulsed electromagnetic diathermy therapy. The therapy consisted of 20 daily treatments lasting one-half hour each per day and spread over one month. The application of the electromagnetic energy to the mid-anterior thigh and plantar surface of the foot of the treated leg was accomplished by the use of two inductive application heads and resulted in tissue heating. Patient measurements included surface temperature, transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen (tcpO₂), segmental Doppler blood pressure, and superficial blood flow measured with a laser Doppler flowmeter, in addition to the patients subjective assessments of their overall condition. Temperature measurements indicated a repeatable heating pattern for each patient. The maximum temperature was not reached within 20 minutes of heating at the maximum output, while at 10% of maximum output for 10 minutes after maximum output a temperature plateau was reached. TcpO₂ indicates that the non-treated limb was also affected by the treatment. Sixty percent (60%) of the subjects indicated their belief that the therapy had some discernible therapeutic effect on their condition. The remaining 40% of the subjects experienced no perceptible change during or after the treatment. Based upon the small sample of patients the studies suggest that there is a maximum heating rate applicable to long duration heating using this modality of diathermy. The principle effect on PVD for the subjects studied appears to have been the stimulation of vasodilation