A newly developed non-invasive and quantitative blood flow meter (QFM) was used to measure blood flow in human peripheral arteries (common carotid artery, femoral artery, dorsal pedal artery), and to determine hemodynamic differences after replacement of the canine abdominal aorta with a prosthesis.
The results obtained were as follows:
1) Blood flow of the canine femoral artery by QFM correlated well with that obtained by an electromagnetic flow meter with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.94 (p<0.001) (y=1.05x-12.9).
2) In normal subjects, blood flow of the common carotid, femoral and dorsal pedal arteries changed with age, namely, the blood flow of the common carotid artery decreased after the age of 40 with a statistically significant difference and that of the femoral artery after the age of 60.
3) The blood flow and velocity in the femoral artery and dorsal pedal arteries increased markedly with exercise.
4) The effect of the prosthetic valve in the mitral position on the aortic flow was determined in the common carotid artery. However, there was no significant difference.
5) Blood flow and velocity increased after the aorta was replaced with a prosthesis, although there was no significant difference.
It was concluded in the present study that non-invasiveness and the ability of QFM to detect fine changes in flow patterns would be an ideal tool for diagnosing and following up patients with vascular disease.
