Frequency Spectrum Changes of the Arterial Blood Velocity Waveforms Throughout the Arterial Tree

ABSTRACT Introduction Accurate analysis of tiny fluctuations of the cardiovascular circulation system has been reported as an early predictive and/or diagnostic tool for vascular diseases. The goal of this study was to extract and compare the blood flow spectra in the frequency domain for different arteries in healthy subjects. Materials and Methods Duplex ultrasound images of the common, internal, and external carotid, brachial, and abdominal aorta arteries of 14 healthy participants (32 ± 10 years) were recorded. Blood flow waveforms were generated using a dedicated written algorithm. By applying the Fast Fourier Transform to the resulting profiles, the frequency and power spectrum of the blood velocity waveforms were extracted and statistically analyzed. Results Our results revealed 3–5 significant frequency components in the frequency spectrum of forward and back flow in all arteries, five peaks in the abdominal aorta and brachial arteries, three peaks in common, external, and internal carotid arteries, and only the 3rd and 4th peaks occurred at significantly different frequencies ( p < 0.05). Power spectra revealed only the first three components in the forward flow and at least four of the main components of reverse flow in the aorta and brachial arteries, and the first peak of the carotid arteries' spectra retained their high amplitudes. Nevertheless, the power spectrum component had the greatest change throughout the arteries. Conclusion The technique introduced in the present study may expand our insight into the modulation mechanisms within the circulation system. The resulting information might be beneficial for early identification of any deviation compared with the normal spectrum.