Ultrasound assessment of the caliber of the arteries in the lower extremities in healthy persons – the dependency on age, sex and morphological parameters of the subjects

AIM: The aim of this paper was to evaluate the caliber of the following arteries in the lower extremities: the common femoral artery, superficial femoral artery, popliteal artery, posterior tibial artery and dorsalis pedis artery and to determine the relation of the calibers to age, sex and morphological parameters of the body such as weight, height and BMI of the subject. MATERIAL: Two hundred and twenty-eight healthy persons aged 18–81 were examined (average ±SD; 43.1±16.71): 134 women aged 19–74 (43.2±15.63) and 94 men aged 18–81 (43±18.22). METHODS: The study was conducted with the use of a linear probe of 7.5 MHz frequency. The vascular caliber was assessed after the color map (color Doppler) was placed on a B-mode image. RESULTS: The average and standard deviation values for the calibers of examined vessels were determined. The calibers of all vessels examined in the group of men were statistically significantly larger than those in the group of women. No statistically significant differences between the calibers of the right and left sides were determined. The statistically significant correlations were specified between the age and the caliber of the examined vessels; positive for large femoral arteries and negative for the arteries of the crus and foot. Positive, statistically significant correlations between the caliber and the height, weight and BMI were also reported. CONCLUSIONS: The reported calibers of the arteries in the lower extremities and their relation to age, sex and morphological parameters of the subjects enable the differentiation of the physiological remodeling of the vessels from the pathological processes in e.g. atherosclerosis or hypertension.