Expected Velocities
What are the usual velocities of blood found in the human vascular system?
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Normal human peak systolic blood flow velocities vary with age, cardiac output, and anatomic site. At the aortic valve, peak velocities of up to 500 cm/sec may be possible. The ascending aorta has the highest average peak velocities of the major vessels; typical values are 150-175 cm/sec. Flow in the distal aorta and iliac vessels slows to the 100-150 range, whereas peak velocities in the proximal carotid, brachial, and superficial femoral arteries are about 80-110 cm/sec. Intracranially, peak velocities of the middle and anterior cerebral arteries are approximately 40-70 cm/sec, whereas those in the vertebral-basilar system are only 30-50 cm/sec. Venous velocities are generally less than 20 cm/sec. Conversely, in certain pathological conditions such as arteriovenous fistulas, velocities up to 400 cm/sec may be recorded.
*High-grade ICA stenoses may have peak velocities of 300 cm/sec and jets from aortic stenoses as high as 500 cm/sec |
References
Brant WE. The Core Curriculum: Ultrasound. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2001.
Brant WE. The Core Curriculum: Ultrasound. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 2001.
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