Action of prazosin on vasospasm in white finger disease
Rochette, G.
Revue Medicale de Liege 43(6): 194-197
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0370-629X PMID: 3375644 Document Number: 320226
Following exposure to cold and ischemia, the hand of a healthy subject reacts by full and rapid vasodilation, contrary to the reaction of a subject suffering from white fingers. The small and late response of the latter is due to a vasospasm which can be relieved with prazosin. In a trial of the use of prazosin to treat white fingers, satisfactory results were obtained in 9 out of the 10 subjects. The response to prazosin is a valuable element in the evaluation of body damage due to mechanical vibrations, allowing the differentiation of stenosing lesions due to vasospasm from lesions due to fibrosis of the vessel walls.