Blood Flow of the Acral Finger Arterioles in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes by Quality Doppler Profiles

Patients with diabetes mellitus exhibit peripheral arterioles lesions that is associated with reduced blood flow. Here, we intended to assess the acral arterioles lesion in patients with type 2 diabetes based on the rate of blood flow by multigate spectral Doppler ultrasonography. Fifty-two patients with type 2 DM were divided into two groups. Group 1 included 13 men and 12 women with an average age of 60.60 ± 14.03 years and a duration of type 2 diabetes for 2.44 ± 1.50 years. Group 2 included 17 men and 11 women with an average age of 64.25 ± 10.84 years and type 2 diabetes for 12.57 ± 6.26 years. Age-matched control subjects (n = 52) were recruited (30 men and 22 woman, mean age of 61.19 ± 10.38 years). A multigate spectral Doppler algorithm was applied to the acral finger of the thumb of the right hand to test the arteriole diameter and hemodynamic parameters, including diameter of the acral finger arterioles (D), area of the blood flow profile of the acral finger arterioles (A (max)) and hemodynamic parameters. Patients with diabetes exhibited a significant reduction in the arteriole diameter (1.63 ± 0.18 and 1.57 ± 0.22 mm, respectively, P < 0.001 for both) compared to control subjects (2.09 ± 0.17 mm). A (max) were significantly reduced in patients with diabetes (61.35 ± 10.66 mm(2)/s for group 1 and 46.50 ± 6.59 mm(2)/s for group 2, P < 0.001 for both) compared to that in control subjects (77.93 ± 12.37 mm(2)/s). Furthermore, a significant difference in Amax was found between group 1 and group 2 (P < 0.001). The vascular resistance index (RI) was significantly higher in both patient groups 0.58 ± 0.06 for group 1 (P < 0.001) and 0.64 ± 0.07 for group 2 (P < 0.001) than that in control subjects (0.48 ± 0.04). The RI value of the acral finger arterioles differed significantly between group 1 and group 2 (P < 0.01). Diabetic patients exhibited a weak blood flow in the acral finger arterioles. The multigate spectral Doppler technology can be used to test blood flow in the acral finger arterioles and provide hemodynamic data for systematic analyses of the peripheral arteriole lesions in diabetes.