The in vitro echogenicity of flowing blood in patients with vascular disease and the effect of naftidrofuryl

Blood echogenicity was measured in four patient groups with circulatory disturbances (myocardial infarction, stroke, claudication, and deep venous thrombosis) at hospital admission and one week later. The recording was done by an A-mode ultrasonic method at three shear rates down to 4.1 s −1 . The rheological effects of adding an anti-aggregatory drug, naftidrofuryl, was tested in vitro at concentrations ranging from 10 −8 –10 −6 M. Echogenicity was lowest in blood from healthy volunteers and significantly greater in blood from patients with claudication. The in vitro addition of naftidrofuryl significantly lowered the echogenicity of blood samples taken from patients with venous thrombosis in the lower extremities. The authors suggest that increased blood echogenicity, which can be pharmacologically manipulated, may be a nonspecific indicator of disease.