On the consistency of flow rate color Doppler assessment for the internal jugular vein

Color Doppler methodology to assess the vessel blood flow rate is based on the time averaged velocity of the blood measured in the longitudinal plane and the cross sectional area measurement taken either in the longitudinal plane, by assuming circular cross sectional area, or in the transversal plane. The measurement option in longitudinal plane is based on the assumption of circular cross sectional area, while the transversal one needs to evaluate both time-averaged velocity and cross sectional area in the same vessel point. A precise and validated assessment methodology is still lacking. Four healthy volunteers underwent internal jugular vein colour Doppler scanning. The cross sectional area was assessed by means of B-mode imaging in the transversal plane all along the vessel cervical course. During this assessment, cross sectional area, major and minor axis of the vessel were measured and recorded. The distance between the internal jugular vein wall and the skin surface were measured together with the intra-luminal diameter and statistically correlated with the cross sectional area data. The internal jugular vein cross sectional area measured on the transversal plane were significantly different from the cross sectional area calculated using the assumption of circular shape. The intra-luminal distance showed high correlation with the measured cross sectional area. The proper anatomical point in the cross sectional area transversal measurement can be identified by using the internal jugular vein intra-luminal distance as landmark.