MURMURS AND NOISE CAUSED BY ARTERIAL NARROWING – THEORY AND CLINICAL PRACTICE

Abstract

Arterial narrowing can cause an audible whirling in the blood flow. We propose diagnosing such narrowing by simply recording that sound and analyzing its spectrum. We show how the Navier-Stokes equation for flow through a narrowing can be turned into a Schrödinger type equation. The complex eigenvalues of the latter equation give the frequencies and decay rates of the vortices present in the whirling pattern. Our diagnosis is based on understanding the relation between features in the sound spectrum and the severity of the narrowing. Today the most commonly used method of diagnosis is duplex ultrasound. In a small clinical trial our method appears to be as good as duplex ultrasound.