Effect of hemodynamic conditions on sonographic measurements of peak systolic velocity and arterial diameter in patients with peripheral arterial stenosis

Purpose. We measured changes in peak systolic velocity ratio and sonogaphic vascular diameter during different hemodynamic conditions in patients with femoral or iliac artery stenosis. Methods. In 35 patients with isolated femoral or iliac artery stenosis, prestenotic and intrastenotic peak systolic velocity and inner vascular diameter were calculated using color Doppler sonography and gray-scale sonography, respectively. The measurements were performed with the patient at rest (baseline), after leg exercise, and again after oral administration of 10 mg of the vasodilator nifedipine. Results. The mean prestenotic and intrastenotic peak systolic velocity and the peak systolic velocity ratio (intrastenotic/prestenotic peak systolic velocity) were 70 +/- 31 cm/second, 360 +/- 130 cm/second, and 6.5 +/- 3.6 at baseline; 78 +/- 37 cm/second, 404 +/- 171 cm/second, and 6.6 +/- 4.2 after leg exercise; and 71 +/- 30 cm/second, 353 +/- 109 cm/second, and 5.9 +/- 3.2 after nifedipine administration. The mean prestenotic and intrastenotic diameter and percentage of diameter reduction were 5.9 +/- 3.2 mm, 2.3 +/- 1.1 mm, and 59 +/- 13% at baseline; 4.8 +/- 2.4 mm, 2.0 +/- 1.3 mm, and 62 +/- 13% after leg exercise; and 5.9 +/- 2.9 mm, 2.5 +/- 1.0 mm, and 54 +/- 14% after nifedipine administration. Only the difference in intrastenotic diameter after leg exercise was significantly different from baseline. Conclusions. The peak systolic velocity ratio in peripheral arterial stenosis seems to be relatively independent of the hemodynamic conditions and cannot be used for investigations of vasomotion of stenotic arterial segments during different hemodynamic conditions. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.