[A nomogram of duplex ultrasound quantification of peripheral arterial stenoses. Studies of the cardiovascular model and in angiography patients].

BACKGROUND AND METHODS

Blood flow velocity measurements were performed with duplex ultrasound in vitro (flow phantom) and in 62 patients who underwent angiography due to peripheral vascular disease.

RESULTS

Intrastenotic peak systolic velocity (PSV) divided by proximally recorded PSV (peak velocity ratio, PVR) exhibited a strong correlation with percent diameter reduction: r2 = 0.86; N = 106 stenoses. A PVR value > or = 2.4 indicated a more than 50% stenosis with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 94%. Calculation of PVR may normalize for patient variation and allow noninvasive quantification of lumen narrowing with high sensitivity and specificity. The intraobserver variability (95% CI) of stenosis quantification using PVR values was 10%. A nomogram simplifies estimation of lumen narrowing after measurement of intrastenotic and proximal PSV values.

CONCLUSION

Quantification of peripheral artery stenoses can be performed easily and noninvasively with duplex ultrasound using the peak velocity ratio (PVR).