Comparative study of arterial transmission velocity

Abstract

For the purpose of determining the arterial transmission velocity experiments were performed on anesthetized mongrel dogs by recording arterial pressure measured simultaneously at two positions along the axis of the abdominal aorta. Four independent methods: pulse wave velocity (PWV), apparent phase velocity (APV), ‘true’ phase velocity (TPV) and correlation propagation velocity (CPV) were used for comparison and for the future purpose of providing a reliable index with which to relate and to compare changes of elastic constants of the arterial wall with arterial disease. Of these four velocity determinations, the PWV proved to be the least reliable. The relationship between the APV and TPV suggests the experimental differences may be related to arterial reflections. On the other hand, the CPV, as measured by the cross correlation technique, was less subject to beat-to-beat variations than was the PWV, in actual determination; although the CPV is a much easier method and a more consistent measure of the arterial pressure pulse transmission velocity. In these studies, the apparent terminal vascular impedance of the arterial transmission line appears to match the apparent characteristic impedance of the large arteries.