EFFECT OF FLOW-RATE AND VESSEL CALIBER ON CRITICAL ARTERIAL-STENOSIS

Critical arterial stenosis, the decrease in lumenal cross-sectional area which is associated with a 10% decrease in flow rate, is not a fixed number but varies directly with the size (cross-sectional area) of the artery and inversely with the flow rate for each vessel being evaluated. Percent changes in blood pressure distal to the lumenal stenosis were found to correlate exactly with percent changes in blood flow. In other words, measurement of distal extremity blood pressure provides a statistically reliable assessment of changes in distal extremity blood flow. The value of arteriography as the sole criterion in the assessment of significant atherosclerotic lesions is limited. The utilization of noninvasive vascular diagnostic equipment is emphasized based upon the demonstration that distal extremity blood pressure is a statistically significant predictor of distal extremity blood flow. © 1979.