Quantitative detection of cerebral arteriosclerosis by means of the pressure-velocity hysteresis technique

The quantitative detection of cerebral arteriosclerosis by means of the pressure-velocity hysteresis technique composed of the cerebral blood velocity pattern (blood velocity pattern in the internal carotid artery measured by the ultrasonic Doppler technique) and the cerebral pressure pulse pattern (common carotid arteriogram measured by non-invasive sphygmography) was investigated in 17-normal young males, normal middle-aged males and patients with cerebral vascular disorders. The ratio of blood pressure/blood velocity in the maximum blood velocity was used as a measure of resistance of the blood flow. The resistance of the cerebral blood flow was significantlpy increased in the patients with cerebral vascular disorders compared to that in the normal young males. The resistance of cerebral blood flow in the middle-aged males was prone to be intermediate between the former two. The results suggest that the pressure-velocity hysteresis technique is useful for the quantitative detection of cerebral vascular resistance as well as cerebral arteriosclerosis. Several factors related to the technique were discussed.