Abstract
To examine the functional properties of the arteries in person with tetraplegia playing a type of wheelchair basketball called twin basketball. Ten trained persons with tetraplegia (TT) and ten non-trained persons with tetraplegia (T), and ten able-bodied (A) participated in this study. The diameter and compliance of the brachial artery (BA) and common femoral artery (CFA) were measured using a noninvasive ultrasound technique. Compliance define a volume of change in cross-sectional area relative to pulse pressure. The diameters of the BA showed no significant difference between the 3 groups, the trained person with tetraplegia (3.09±0.44mm/m2) the untrained person with tetraplegia (2.98±0.24mm/m2) and able-bodied (2.71±0.21mm/m2) (Fig1) .The diameters of the CFA were significantly higher in the able-bodied (5.31±8.20mm/m2) than in TT(3.88±9.58mm/m2) and T (4.28±5.68mm/m2) (p<0.01). The BA compliance in TT (0.127±0.05mm2/mmHg) was significantly higher than in A (0.067±0.03mm2/mmHg p<0.01) and T (0.059±0.04mm2/mmHg ; p<0.05). The CFA compliance was higher (p<0.01) in A (0.09±0.03mm2/mmHg) than in TT (0.07±0.04mm2/mmHg) and T (0.06±0.02mm2/mmHg). The trained persons with tetraplegia manifested functional adaptation of the BA, which is an upper extremity artery participated in the drive of the wheelchair.
