Doppler Ultrasound Indices of the Major Arteries as Markers of Vascular Tone during Thermal Stress

Anatoly V. Skripal; Konstantin V. Mashkov; Andrey A. Sagaidachnyi; Elena S. Olenko

doi:10.18287/JBPE26.12.030303

Authors

Anatoly V. Skripal Saratov State University
Konstantin V. Mashkov Saratov State University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5835-9428
Andrey A. Sagaidachnyi Saratov State University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5296-1968
Elena S. Olenko Saratov State University https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1573-0623

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18287/JBPE26.12.030303

Keywords:

vascular elasticity, vascular resistance, microcirculation, major artery, ultrasound Doppler, laser doppler flowmetry, thermal test

Abstract

This study focuses on the effects of moderate thermal heating on microcirculation and peripheral hemodynamics, as well as on the interrelationship between changes detected by Laser Doppler Flowmetry (LDF) and Ultrasound Doppler (USD). Microcirculation and peripheral hemodynamics were evaluated in the context of cardiovascular diagnostics using LDF and USDG. LDF non-invasively assessed tissue perfusion, reflecting the state of arterioles, venules, precapillary sphincters, and capillaries, thereby evaluating blood filling and tone in the microcirculatory bed. USDG was employed to assess blood flow in major arteries and calculate peripheral resistance indices, including resistance and pulsatility indices. General thermal heating from 20°C to 30°C was applied to observe its impact on both microvascular tone and major artery resistance indices. Moderate thermal heating increased perfusion and amplified the amplitude of neurogenic and myogenic oscillation rhythms. Peripheral resistance, as determined by USDG, decreased with rising temperature. The retrograde blood flow component, indicative of the tone of distal muscular-type vessels, disappeared upon warming, suggesting reduced resistance in both major arteries and microvessels. Additionally, the amplitude of antegrade diastolic flow, associated with the properties of elastic-type arteries, increased. Changes in microcirculation and peripheral hemodynamics are interconnected and follow a common physiological pattern: vasodilation and reduced tone in the microcirculatory bed. The decrease in USDG spectral indices in major arteries during heating correlates directly with the reduction in microvascular tone. While USDG can detect vascular resistance changes within a single cardiac cycle, LDF requires significantly more time to register such changes in microvascular tone.

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