Color Doppler sonography of the facial artery in the anterior face.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to clarify the Doppler sonographic features of the facial artery in the anterior face in healthy volunteers and to investigate those of related hemangiomas.


METHODS
Forty-six volunteers and 3 patients with hemangiomas were examined with Doppler sonography. The detection rates of the facial artery in the anterior face were determined. The features of the main trunk, superior and inferior labial branches, and the branches in the buccinator area were investigated together with the flow diameter, flow velocities, and resistive and pulsatility indexes.


RESULTS
The detection rates of the main trunk and superior and inferior branches were 100%, whereas that of the branches in the buccinator area was 92.4%. There were no significant differences in the measured values for all indexes between the right and left sides. However, there were significant correlations between right and left sides in the flow diameter and minimum velocity of the main trunk and in the flow diameter and pulsatility index of the superior labial branch. The Doppler sonographic features of the hemangioma were characterized as a hypoechoic area with internal and surrounding blood flows.


CONCLUSIONS
Doppler sonography can clearly depict the facial artery and its branches in the anterior face, and this method appears to be useful in the follow-up examination of hemangiomas in this area.
Zhao
Yan-ping
YP
Department of Oral And Maxillofacial Radiology, School of Stomatology, Peking University, China.
Ariji
Yoshiko
Y
Gotoh
Masakazu
M
Kurita
Kenichi
K
Natsume
Nagato
N
Ma
Xu-chen
XC
Ariji
Eiichiro
E
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001158:Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005145:Face / Q000098:blood supply*; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color