The external carotid artery (ECA) typically shows what type of resistance waveform?

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Prepare for the Vascular Techniques Exam 3. Study with in-depth questions, hints, and explanations to fully understand vascular techniques. Bolster your knowledge and ensure success on your exam!

Multiple Choice

The external carotid artery (ECA) typically shows what type of resistance waveform?

Explanation:
The ECA shows a high-resistance waveform because it supplies tissues with a relatively high distal vascular resistance (faces, scalp, muscles) and has numerous muscular branches that limit continuous diastolic flow. In Doppler, this appears as a strong, sharp systolic peak with a rapid falloff and little or even reversed flow during diastole—the classic high-resistance pattern (often triphasic at peripheral arteries). In contrast, the internal carotid artery feeds the brain, which has a low-resistance downstream bed, yielding forward flow throughout diastole. So, the external carotid’s waveform is best described as high resistance.

The ECA shows a high-resistance waveform because it supplies tissues with a relatively high distal vascular resistance (faces, scalp, muscles) and has numerous muscular branches that limit continuous diastolic flow. In Doppler, this appears as a strong, sharp systolic peak with a rapid falloff and little or even reversed flow during diastole—the classic high-resistance pattern (often triphasic at peripheral arteries). In contrast, the internal carotid artery feeds the brain, which has a low-resistance downstream bed, yielding forward flow throughout diastole. So, the external carotid’s waveform is best described as high resistance.

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