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Application of pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound to exploration of the peripheral vasomotor response by gender and hand dominance

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Abstract

Purpose

Laser Doppler flowmetry measures peripheral vasomotor response but fails to detect changes in vascular diameters, resistance, and heart rates. Because this response contributes to assessing sympathetic disorders and relies on the above variables to be correctly interpreted, we used pulsed-wave Doppler (PWD) ultrasound to evaluate the response and to determine whether it was affected by gender or hand dominance.

Methods

PWD was applied to bilateral deep palmar branches of the radial arteries of 22 men and 22 women, using post-inspiratory cough as the sympathetic stimulus. Pulsatility index (PI), arterial diameters, heart rates, flow velocity, and blood flow before and after sympathetic stimuli were analyzed for both groups.

Results

Women had a higher PI value of the radial arteries at rest; in contrast, that of men was higher after sympathetic stimuli. Blood flow velocity (V max, V max mean, and V mean) at rest was higher for men than for women. A significant difference was observed in V min after stimulus. Arterial diameters and blood flow before and after stimuli were higher for men than for women. Post-inspiratory cough caused significant diameter reduction in women but heart rate elevation in men. Hand dominance had no effect.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated the suitability of PWD for detailing peripheral vasomotor response, which was affected by gender but not hand dominance. Our results suggest application of PWD to diseases with unilateral sympathetic impairment, but responses for different sexes should be treated with caution.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the staff and volunteers who participated in the study and the researchers who conducted the original study. This research was partially supported by a grant from the National Science Council, no. 99-2320-B-002-005-MY3.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department 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

    Ke-Vin Chang, Tian-Shin Yeh, Tyng-Guey Wang, Ming-Yen Hsiao & Wen-Shiang Chen

  2. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital Yun-Lin Branch, No. 579, Yun-Lin Rd., Yunlin, 640, Taiwan, ROC

    Chueh-Hung Wu

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  1. Ke-Vin Chang
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  2. Chueh-Hung Wu
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Correspondence to Wen-Shiang Chen.

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Chang, KV., Wu, CH., Yeh, TS. et al. Application of pulsed-wave Doppler ultrasound to exploration of the peripheral vasomotor response by gender and hand dominance. J Med Ultrasonics 38, 195–202 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-011-0310-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10396-011-0310-2

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