Carotid artery flow volume and velocity by duplex sonography in men with chronic low thoracic and lumbar spinal cord injury

Abstract

Mizushima T, Tajima F, Aoki S, Yamamoto M, Ogata H. Carotid artery flow volume and velocity by duplex sonography in men with chronic low thoracic and lumbar spinal cord injury. ObjectiveTo investigate the common carotid blood flow volume and velocity in men with chronic low thoracic and lumbar spinal cord injury (SCI), using duplex sonography. DesignExperimental control study. SettingUniversity laboratory in a department of rehabilitation medicine. ParticipantsTwenty men with SCI between the T7 and L1 segments and 15 age- and sex-matched control subjects. InterventionsNot applicable. Main outcome measuresCommon carotid artery flow volume and velocity. ResultsThe mean carotid artery time-averaged flow velocity of subjects with SCI was significantly lower than that of control subjects. Moreover, the mean carotid flow volume of subjects with SCI was significantly lower than that of control subjects (right side: SCI, .52±.14L/min; controls, .67±.10L/min; P<.05; left side: SCI, .54±.15L/min; controls, .72±.14L/min; P<.05). ConclusionsThere are reduced common carotid artery flow volumes and flow velocities in men with chronic SCI. The reduction may result from disturbances of blood distribution induced by reduced vasoconstriction tone below the level of SCI lesion.