Volume Flow Rate Evaluation in Patients with Obstructive Arteriosclerotic Disease.

C. Doberenz; W. Paulus; C.D. Reimers

This study was performed to quantify the volumetric impact of extracranial arteriosclerotic lesions. We investigated patients with different degrees of carotid stenosis as defined by conventional velocity-based duplex criteria and different patterns of collateralization. We studied the volume flow rate (color duplex M-mode device) in 37 patients with symmetrical internal carotid artery (ICA) plaques (<50% stenosis) and compared these data to 43 patients with a unilateral 50–74% stenosis, 75–99% stenosis (n = 73) and occlusion of the ICA (n = 37). A 75–99% stenosis caused an ipsilateral flow reduction of 36% with a wide interindividual variability, and an occlusion of 51%. Collateralization via the ophthalmic artery only caused a nonsignificant ipsilateral volume flow increase, whereas the contralateral volume flow was significantly higher in patients with a patent anterior communicating artery. The increase was more pronounced in patients with an occluded vessel. Our data demonstrate a wide diversity of the hemodynamic impact of carotid stenosis as defined by ‘classical’ Doppler criteria. Collateral flow reflects a dynamic quantitative process.Copyright © 2004 S. Karger AG, Basel

ARTERIAL stenosis; CAROTID artery; BLOOD flow; ARTERIAL occlusions; PATIENTS

Cerebrovascular Diseases, 2004, Vol 18, Issue 4, p312

1015-9770

Academic Journal

10.1159/000080698