Study of normal Chinese vertebral-basilar arteries with transcranial color Doppler flow imaging.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood flow characteristics of intracranial vertebral-basilar artery (V-BA) in healthy Chinese adults with transcranial color Doppler flow imaging (TCDFI) and provide reference values of healthy people of different ages and genders.


METHODS
Three hundred healthy Chinese adults were divided into three groups based on their ages: Group I: 20-39 years, Group II: 40-59 years, Group III: >/=60 years. Each group was subdivided into two subgroups according to their gender. Peak systolic velocity (Ps), end-diastolic velocity (Vd), time average maximum velocity (TAMAX), pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI) were measured from intracranial V-BA scanning.


RESULTS
Ps, Vd, and TAMAX decreased with age, while PI and RI increased in all groups. Flow velocity in women was slightly higher than that of men, and there was significant differences in group III between men and women (P<.05). However, no difference was found in the flow parameters between left and right vertebral arteries.


CONCLUSIONS
This study offered reference values of intracranial V-BA flow parameters in healthy Chinese adults and indicated that these parameters varied with age and gender.
Sun
Li-Tao
LT
Department of Ultrasound, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Harbin 150086, China.
Tian
Jia-Wei
JW
Liu
Yu-Jie
YJ
Wang
Han-Mei
HM
Jiang
Shuang-Quan
SQ
Tian
Yong-Mei
YM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D004453:Echoencephalography / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012212:Rheology / Q000379:methods; D014711:Vertebral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology*