| Vein | Artery |
| Compressible | Resists compression |
| Non-pulsatile | Pulsatile (increases with compression) |
| Thin-walled | Thick-walled |
| Irregular channel | Smooth channel |
| Valves seen | No valves |
| Distends with tourniquet or augmentation maneuvers | No diameter change with tourniquet or augmentation maneuvers |
| Lumen becomes more hyperechoic with tourniquet | Lumen remains anechoic with tourniquet |
| Slow flow on Doppler | High flow on Doppler |
| Flat (monophasic) or atrial (triphasic) waveform with spectral analysis | Arterial waveform with spectral analysis |
