Venous flow volume measured by duplex ultrasound can be used as an indicator of impaired tissue perfusion in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

Aim: In this study, we aimed to investigate the arterial and venous flow volume rate (FV) in order to determine the tissue perfusion using duplex ultrasonography (DU). We hypothesized that FV provides reliable information regarding tissue perfusion in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Material and methods: The study comprised 38 patients (72 legs) with PAD. In all patients, common femoral, popliteal, anterior tibial, posterior tibial arteries and veins were examined with DU. Measurements were obtained in the supine position with 15 cm elevation of the foot to neutralise central venous pressure. The diameter, blood flow velocity, and FV of arteries and veins were measured for each patient. Results: The FV of the common femoral artery and vein (p = 0.001), popliteal artery and vein (p=0.003), and posterior tibial artery and vein (p = 0.008) had statistically significant differences. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the FV of the anterior tibial vein and artery (p = 0.408). The mean FV values of all veins were significantly lower than those of homonymous arteries in patients with PAD. Conclusions: Our study showed that venous FV measured by DU can be used as an indicator of impaired tissue perfusion in patients with PAD.