On the Characterization of Blood Velocity in Arteries Using a Combined Analytical and Doppler Imaging Approach

In this work, we report a novel experimental and analytical approach to characterize the pulsatile blood flow field based on Doppler ultrasound imaging of the carotid and brachial arteries. The diameter-averaged (DA) velocity, obtained from the instantaneous velocity histograms extracted from the Doppler waveform, was adapted to the solution of a pulsatile flow in a pipe; from which the instantaneous velocity profiles were predicted and compared to local velocity measurements in the carotid and brachial arteries of four healthy human subjects. Excellent agreement as demonstrated by the regression slope of 0.97 and near-zero intercept was observed between the spatiotemporal flow field predictions and local velocity measurements at specific distances from the vessel wall. The DA velocity approach with a suitable mathematical interpretation, was statistically shown, based on near-real time in vivo measurements, to be more appropriate to use than the commonly used centerline-velocity (VC) approach reported in the literature by many previous studies.