title: Study of normal Chinese vertebral-basilar arteries with transcranial color Doppler flow imaging.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University. Harbin 150086, China.
authors.forename: Li-Tao
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jia-Wei
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yu-Jie
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Han-Mei
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shuang-Quan
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Yong-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Tian
mesh_terms: 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*