In 74 patients with the chronic obliterative arterial disease of the lower limbs, the systolic perfusion pressure and the ankle systolic pressure index were measured using CW-Doppler ultrasound on the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial arteries. At the same time Doppler flow velocity recordings were made at the femoral, popliteal and pedal levels. Peak foreward velocity and peak reverse velocity were measured directly from the tracing, while blood acceleration and deceleration as well as the acceleration/deceleration index were calculated using simple arithmetics. Patients with obliterative arterial disease had a significantly lower systolic pressure and ankle systolic pressure index in both pedal arteries than healthy volunteers constituting the control group. Peak forward velocity, acceleration and deceleration had a great accuracy in evaluating the peripheral circulatory status in affected persons, while peak reverse velocity and the acceleration/deceleration index were reproducible only at the high femoral level. Doppler velocity tracings appeared to be as useful in evaluating the peripheral arterial circulation as the previously used systolic perfusion pressure and ankle systolic pressure index.