FUNDAMENTALS OF ULTRASONIC DUPLEX SCANNIN G OF THE INTERNAL THORACIC ARTERY

Because of its better long term patency the internal thoracic artery h as become the conduit of choice for myocardial revascularization. Thir ty healthy young volunteers were investigated to prove the suitability of the duplex system for investigating the internal thoracic artery. The mean systolic peak flow velocity was 1.15 m/s in the proximal vess el decreasing to 0.55 mis in the peripheral course of the artery. Mean internal thoracic artery diameters at the origin were calculated as 2 .18 mm for the left and 2.43 mm for the right internal thoracic artery . The flow curves represent those of elastic-type vessels, whereas in a small number resistance curves occurred representing the muscular ty pe. The combination of two-dimensional B-mode and Doppler unit allows visualization of the internal thoracic artery and assessing the flow v elocities within the vessel. Ultrasonic duplex scanning is a noninvasi ve diagnostic tool for investigation of the internal thoracic artery.