Characteristics of Pressure and Flow in Arteries and Veins: The Application to Noninvasive Peripheral Vascular Testing

Abstract

Knowledge of vascular hemodynamics is essential for understanding how noninvasive testing is applied to the accurate detection of disease in the peripheral vasculature and it is particularly necessary for the correct interpretation of nonimaging studies. It is important to know how blood fl ow characteristics can be affected by changes in peripheral resistance, vessel dilations, bifurcations, and by tortuosity and how these can affect the study results from normal arteries. The characteristics of venous blood fl ow are affected similarly to these changes in vessel geometry, additional to which the presence of venous valves in the lower extremity also needs to be considered. It is essential to learn the foregoing before attempting to distinguish between normal and abnormal conditions in blood fl ow because comprehension of these conditions is fundamental to the meticulous interpretation of all non-invasive peripheral vascular studies.From Needham Vascular Consulting, Chattanooga, Tennessee.