Cohen Jeremy N, Sole Rebecca T, Zafiris Eudoxia, Au Jason S
Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
J Appl Physiol (1985). 2025 Feb 1;138(2):389-396. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00628.2024. Epub 2025 Jan 3.
Measurement of blood flow during exercise is crucial for understanding physiological responses and performance outcomes. However, traditional methods are often invasive, costly, or require substantial training, limiting widespread research in this area. This study introduces the innovative use of limb-affixed ultrasound probe holders for vascular imaging during exercise to overcome these challenges. We investigated a commercially available probe holder, the Usono ProbeFix dynamic (PFD), in capturing artery diameter and blood velocity during dynamic exercise compared with a trained sonographer. Twenty healthy adults (11 females) underwent simultaneous imaging of the brachial artery and superficial femoral artery (SFA) using both manual and PFD imaging on separate days. Data were collected for 60 s at rest on a cycle ergometer and after 4 min of cycling at 50, 100, and 150 W. The PFD was comparable with a trained sonographer at rest (both 99 ± 2%) but demonstrated superiority in capturing blood velocity in the inactive limb (main effect of scanning condition < 0.01; e.g., 150 W exercise: 85 ± 21% vs. 74 ± 25%). There was no effect of scanning condition on velocity capture success in the SFA (main effect: 69 ± 21% vs. 65 ± 16%; = 0.42). A systematic constriction of brachial artery diameter (∼0.02 cm) was noted in the PFD condition ( < 0.01), likely due to the compression of the shallow artery. The findings suggest that ultrasound probe holders offer a promising solution for increasing accessibility to exercising blood flow in vascular physiology research, though require considerations for data cleaning and diameter assessment. Further investigation is warranted to optimize the application of these devices in dynamic exercise scenarios. This study explores an ultrasound probe holder (PFD) for measuring blood flow during exercise, addressing the limitations of traditional methods. We compared PFD imaging with manual scanning in capturing artery diameter and blood velocity during cycling exercise. Results showed that the PFD matched trained sonographer accuracy at rest and outperformed them in capturing blood velocity during exercise in the inactive limb but not active limb. We highlight the PFD's potential impact in vascular physiology research.
运动期间血流量的测量对于理解生理反应和运动表现结果至关重要。然而，传统方法往往具有侵入性、成本高昂或需要大量培训，限制了该领域的广泛研究。本研究引入了创新性地使用肢体固定超声探头支架来在运动期间进行血管成像，以克服这些挑战。我们研究了一种市售的探头支架，即Usono ProbeFix动态型（PFD），与经过培训的超声检查医师相比，其在动态运动期间捕获动脉直径和血流速度的情况。20名健康成年人（11名女性）在不同日期分别使用手动成像和PFD成像对肱动脉和股浅动脉（SFA）进行同步成像。在自行车测力计上休息60秒时以及在50、100和150瓦功率下骑行4分钟后收集数据。PFD在休息时与经过培训的超声检查医师相当（均为99±2%），但在捕获非活动肢体的血流速度方面表现更优（扫描条件的主效应<0.01；例如，150瓦运动时：85±21%对74±25%）。扫描条件对SFA中速度捕获成功率没有影响（主效应：69±21%对65±16%；P=0.42）。在PFD条件下，观察到肱动脉直径有系统性收缩（约0.02厘米）（P<0.01），这可能是由于浅动脉受到压迫所致。研究结果表明，超声探头支架为增加血管生理学研究中运动血流量测量的可及性提供了一个有前景的解决方案，不过在数据清理和直径评估方面需要加以考虑。有必要进一步研究以优化这些设备在动态运动场景中的应用。本研究探索了一种用于测量运动期间血流量的超声探头支架（PFD），解决了传统方法的局限性。我们在骑行运动期间比较了PFD成像和手动扫描在捕获动脉直径和血流速度方面的情况。结果表明，PFD在休息时与经过培训的超声检查医师的准确性相当，在运动期间捕获非活动肢体而非活动肢体的血流速度方面优于他们。我们强调了PFD在血管生理学研究中的潜在影响。
