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Interpretation of venous occlusion plethysmography using a nonlinear model

Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing volume 24, pages 379–385 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Venous occlusion plethysmography (VOP) is a noninvasive technique widely employed for the detection of deep-vein thrombosis. Previous reports that VOP outflow curves are closely fit by a first-order exponential suggest that venous compliance and resistance are nearly constant. Typically, however, the venous compliance function has a sigmoid shape; in addition, the resistance in a collapsing tube must increase. This paradox was resolved by the surprising finding that for realistic nonlinear compliance and resistance these nonlinearities cancel, producing a quasilinear venous outflow that approximates a simple exponential.

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Abbreviations

A :

area m2

C :

compliancedV/dP m5N−1

D :

diameter m

g :

gravitational acceleration m s−2

H c :

height or elevation of the calf m

h l :

head loss m

L :

length m

P c :

calf venous blood pressure N m−2

P h :

right heart blood pressure N m−2

Q :

rate of calf emptying (V′ c=V′b) m3 s−1

R :

flow resistance ΔP/Q N s m−5

t :

time s

U :

average velocity m s−1

V c :

segmental calf volume including tissues (V 1) and blood (V b) m3

ΔV c :

change in calf volume due to venous blood volume change =V b m3

VC :

venous capacitance = ΔV c/Vc immediately prior to release of thigh occlusion pressure per cent

ϱ:

density kg m−3

μ:

dynamic (absolute) viscosity N s m−2

b :

blood

c :

calf

h :

heart

0:

initial or resting value

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Avenue North, 01605, Worcester, MA, USA

    F. A. Anderson Jr. & H. Brownell Wheeler

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 01609, Worcester, MA, USA

    W. W. Durgin

Authors
  1. F. A. Anderson Jr.
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  2. W. W. Durgin
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  3. H. Brownell Wheeler
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Anderson, F.A., Durgin, W.W. & Wheeler, H.B. Interpretation of venous occlusion plethysmography using a nonlinear model. Med. Biol. Eng. Comput. 24, 379–385 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02442692

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02442692

Keywords

  • Deep venous thrombosis
  • Theoretical model
  • Venous occlusion plethysmography