Doppler US: Part II. Clinical applications

Duplex and color Doppler ultrasound (US) are noninvasive techniques capable of providing much information about the condition of blood vessels and flow within them throughout the body. Doppler US provides more than noninvasive angiography. Besides assessment of blood vessel patency and direction of flow, analysis of the flow velocity waveform allows quantitation of arterial stenoses and evaluation of both physiologic and pathologic changes in impedance. In certain situations, Doppler US can aid in tissue characterization and estimation of absolute flow volume. Color Doppler flow imaging may both expedite and clarify the duplex Doppler examination. In addition, color Doppler imaging can demonstrate flow orientation and improve the identification of turbulence and soft plaque. Color and duplex Doppler US are complementary, with color Doppler techniques providing spatial orientation and pulse Doppler techniques providing the time-velocity spectrum for quantitation.