Blood flow indicators in the proximal and distal segments of internal jugular vein in healthy persons and in patients with hypertension

Color duplex scanning of the internal jugular vein (IJV) was performed in 30 volunteers and 21 patients with arterial hypertension. The aim of the work was a comparative evaluation of indicators of blood flow in the proximal (at the inferior bulb) and distal [at the internal carotid artery - (ICA)] IJV areas in healthy persons and in patients with hypertension. The study has shown that in healthy people the value averaged over the time of maximum blood flow velocity in IJV does not depend on the measuring point, whereas maximum blood flow velocity increases from the distal segment towards the bulb. In patients with hypertension the value of the IJV area in proximal and distal segments is significantly higher than in the group of comparison. The maximum and the time-averaged maximum blood flow velocity in the distal IJV segment in healthy persons and hypertensive patients were not significantly different. To improve the accuracy of assessment of venous outflow from the brain blood flow in the disrupted form of the Doppler spectrum at the IJV inferior bulb owing to the philebectasia or extravasal compression it is reasonable to study the parameters in the distal IJV (at the ICA).