Accuracy of duplex scanning for measurement of arterial volume flow

This study examined the accuracy of duplex ultrasound measurements of volume flow in a baboon model. Volume flow (Vf) through the external iliac artery was calculated from measurements of blood velocity averaged over several cardiac cycles (time-averaged velocity [TAV]) and vessel cross-sectional area (A) measured from the B-mode image: Vf = TAV x A. Fourteen anesthetized baboons were studied with a duplex scanner with a 7 MHz imaging transducer and 5 MHz pulsed Doppler. B-mode ultrasound measurements of external iliac artery diameters (2.5 +/- 0.2 mm) were used for calculation of cross-sectional area. Timed blood collections obtained through a cannula inserted into the common femoral artery and TAV measurements were obtained simultaneously during 6 to 15-second intervals. These measurements were repeated three to five times per animal with different flow rates each time. Flow rates ranged from 56 to 280 ml/min (170 +/- 54 ml/min). Average velocity was 55 +/- 17 cm/sec. There was no significant difference between the two methods of volume flow measurement (Student t test). Linear regression analysis revealed a high degree of correlation (r = 0.90, slope 0.95, and p = 0.0001). The absolute percentage error was 13% +/- 8%. Volume flow measured by duplex scanning correlates highly with timed blood collections. This method has potential application for the evaluation of diseased arteries and bypass grafts whose rates of flow and waveform patterns are similar to those of this experiment.