BRACHIAL-ARTERY FLOW PATTERN AND CLINICAL BACKGROUNDS IN PATIENTS WITH ANGINA-PECTORIS

Blood flow velocity of the brachial artery was measured noninvasively by ultrasound pulsed Doppler technique under the guidance of a B-mode ultrasound image in 56 patients with angina pectoris. There was no sig nificant stenosis along the brachial artery on a B-mode image. The aut hors investigated seven clinical backgrounds for each patient, ie, age , gender, absence or presence of smoking, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mel litus, hypertension, and the number of significantly stenosed (greater than or equal to 50%) coronary arteries. Among these variables, the d eterminants of the brachial artery velocity profile were selected by s tepwise multiple regression analysis. Selected variables were the pres ence of hypertension for peak systolic velocity (R=0.276), age and the number of diseased vessels for peak reverse velocity (R=0.624), and a ge for peak diastolic velocity (R=0.609). The peak systolic velocity w as larger in patients with hypertension than in those without it (0.56 5 +/-0.023 vs 0.490 +/-0.013 m/see, P<0.05), and the peak reverse velo city was larger in patients with multivessel disease than those withou t it (-0.117 +/-0.071 vs -0.053 +/-0.082 m/sec, P<0.01). Thus, the lev el of flow velocity of the brachial artery in patients with angina pec toris was partly determined by age, hypertension, and severity of coro nary artery disease. The simple measurement of brachial artery flow ve locity suggests changes in peripheral vasculature related to atheroscl erosis.