TY - JOUR

T1 - Assessment of resistance vessel function in human skeletal muscle

T2 - guidelines for experimental design, Doppler ultrasound, and pharmacology

AU - Limberg, Jacqueline K

AU - Casey, Darren P

AU - Trinity, Joel D

AU - Nicholson, Wayne T

AU - Wray, D Walter

AU - Tschakovsky, Michael E

AU - Green, Daniel J

AU - Hellsten, Ylva

AU - Fadel, Paul J

AU - Joyner, Michael J

AU - Padilla, Jaume

N1 - CURIS 2020 NEXS 048

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - The introduction of duplex Doppler ultrasound almost half a century ago signified a revolutionary advance in the ability to assess limb blood flow in humans. It is now widely used to assess blood flow under a variety of experimental conditions to study skeletal muscle resistance vessel function. Despite its pervasive adoption, there is substantial variability between studies in relation to experimental protocols, procedures for data analysis, and interpretation of findings. This guideline results from a collegial discussion among physiologists and pharmacologists, with the goal of providing general as well as specific recommendations regarding the conduct of human studies involving Doppler ultrasound-based measures of resistance vessel function in skeletal muscle. Indeed, the focus is on methods used to assess resistance vessel function and not upstream conduit artery function (i.e., macrovasculature), which has been expertly reviewed elsewhere. In particular, we address topics related to experimental design, data collection, and signal processing as well as review common procedures used to assess resistance vessel function, including postocclusive reactive hyperemia, passive limb movement, acute single limb exercise, and pharmacological interventions.

AB - The introduction of duplex Doppler ultrasound almost half a century ago signified a revolutionary advance in the ability to assess limb blood flow in humans. It is now widely used to assess blood flow under a variety of experimental conditions to study skeletal muscle resistance vessel function. Despite its pervasive adoption, there is substantial variability between studies in relation to experimental protocols, procedures for data analysis, and interpretation of findings. This guideline results from a collegial discussion among physiologists and pharmacologists, with the goal of providing general as well as specific recommendations regarding the conduct of human studies involving Doppler ultrasound-based measures of resistance vessel function in skeletal muscle. Indeed, the focus is on methods used to assess resistance vessel function and not upstream conduit artery function (i.e., macrovasculature), which has been expertly reviewed elsewhere. In particular, we address topics related to experimental design, data collection, and signal processing as well as review common procedures used to assess resistance vessel function, including postocclusive reactive hyperemia, passive limb movement, acute single limb exercise, and pharmacological interventions.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Blood flow

KW - Endothelial function

KW - vascular function

U2 - 10.1152/ajpheart.00649.2019

DO - 10.1152/ajpheart.00649.2019

M3 - Review

C2 - 31886718

VL - 318

SP - H301-H325

JO - American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology

JF - American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology

SN - 0363-6135

IS - 2

ER -