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Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Pulse Wave Velocity Testing in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Published on: February 7, 2014
Pulsed wave Doppler ultrasonography for the assessment of peripheral vasomotor response in an elderly population
Ke-Vin Chang1, Chueh-Hung Wu, Tyng-Guey Wang
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, No. 7, Chun-San S. Rd., Taipei, 100, Taiwan, ROC.
Purpose:
To assess sympathetic vasomotor activity and its changes with age, using pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound.
Methods:
We recruited 20 young adults (24-37 years old) and 20 older individuals (60-81 years old). Pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound was applied over the right radial artery to measure blood flow at rest and after a voluntary inspiratory cough eliciting sympathetic activation. The maximal (Vmax), minimal (Vmin), time-averaged (TAMaxV) blood flow velocity, and the pulsatility index (PI) were calculated and compared between groups.
Results:
At rest, PI was similar in both groups but Vmax and TAMaxV were higher in the older group (p < 0.05). Vmax, Vmin, and TAMaxV decreased, and PI increased after inspiratory cough in both groups (p ≤ 0.001), but this increase was lower in the older group (p < 0.001). TAMaxV after coughing was higher in the older group (p < 0.05). Heart rate did not differ significantly within or between groups.
Conclusions:
The older group exhibited reduced vasomotor reactivity of the radial artery after sympathetic stimulus. Peripheral vasomotor response should be interpreted with caution in elderly populations.
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