Acute Effects of Leg Heating on Skeletal Muscle Blood Flow

Summary

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Description

Cilostazol is the only effective medication available to treat walking pain (intermittent claudication) and it has multiple side effects. Overall improvement in walking performance in patients who use cilostazol is small. Endovascular and surgical interventions are effective alternatives for patient...

Cilostazol is the only effective medication available to treat walking pain (intermittent claudication) and it has multiple side effects. Overall improvement in walking performance in patients who use cilostazol is small. Endovascular and surgical interventions are effective alternatives for patients who don't respond to medical therapy, however, these procedures are costly and only applicable to patients with certain lesions types and carry a high risk of restenosis. Heat therapy (HT) is an emerging non-invasive approach that has been shown to enhance vascular function of the leg in old individuals. The objective of this study is to test the hypothesis that a single session of heat therapy will increase local muscle tissue blood flow in the calf of patients with PAD as assessed by PET/CT imaging of generator-based 62Cu-ETS. Subjects who have met inclusion criteria will volunteer for a single experimental visit. Participants will wear the water circulating pants and asked to rest supine for 30 minutes inside the scanner. Water at 43 degrees C will be perfused through the pants for 90 minutes with the goal to increase skin temperature in the calf to 39 degrees C. IV injections of 62Cu-ETS and subsequent perfusion imaging will be performed at the end of the 30 minute baseline period, after 45 minutes of heat therapy and at the end of the intervention (90 minutes). Due to the short half life of 62Cu, radioactivity from the prior administrations will not interfere with acquisition of a subsequent PET scan at this timing interval.

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