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Common Uses Of Vascular Doppler
Vascular Doppler is a specialized application of vascular ultrasound. Ultrasound imaging or scanning is not
unlike the underwater sonars used to detect large vessels such as submarines. The type used for examining
the body is sonography, and is familiar to many people. Expectant mothers in particular are familiar with this
technology, as a way to examine the growing baby in utero.
Ultrasound is safe and painless, and for this reason is useful for a wide range of examinations. They are an
alternative to x-rays that scan body internals with ionizing radiation. No such radiation exists with ultrasound.
An ultrasound examination is performed with a small transducer, which converts sound waves to electrical
impulses and back again. The sound waves generated by the transducer or probe are transmitted through
the body with a special ultrasound gel.
Specifically, vascular ultrasound provides images of the veins and arteries in the body. When blood flows
through the blood vessels, the reflected frequency of the sound waves changes a little, in proportion to the
speed. This is known as the Doppler effect. This is utilized to yield a special type of ultrasound procedure
called . With this procedure, the blood flow can be monitored and diagnosed as well.
There are three ways to display the results of this analysis method. These include Color Doppler, Power
Doppler, and Spectral Doppler. With Color Doppler, the measurements are converted to a color chart. The
results are not unlike the traffic flow maps generated by modern GPS systems combined with traffic flow
databases. The veins and arteries may be represented by red for a comparatively fast flow, yellow for a
slower flow. For flow in the opposite direction, the cool colors are used, perhaps violet for a fast flow, and
green for a slower flow.
Power Doppler is a newer method that displays flow more accurately and vividly. Unfortunately, like the other
two ways of imaging blood flow, the output of power Doppler gives no indication of direction. Spectral
Doppler does not display the results visually. Rather, it generates a graph in terms of distance traveled per
unit time.
has an array of uses. It can help with any analysis where it is required to monitor blood flow to tissues and
organs throughout the body. With this analysis, it can identify and locate blockages (stenosis) or other
abnormalities such as emboli or plaque. It can also detect blood clots, or deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in
the major veins in the extremities of the body. Other uses include determining appropriateness for certain
procedures such as angioplasty, evaluating the success of grafting blood vessels, determining if there is an
enlarged artery (aneurysm), and determining the severity of varicose veins.
Because of its non-intrusive nature, this imaging method is particularly useful for diagnosis of children and
babies. In one such situation, it is very difficult to place a needle or catheter in a vein or artery properly in
such a way as to prevent bleeding. The Doppler measurements help perform this procedure accurately. If a
child has a congenital vascular malformation in the form of an arteriovenous malformation or a fistula,
Doppler measurements can evaluate the salient artery or vein connection. It is similarly useful during a
dialysis fistula.
These are just some of the uses continually being discovered in the medical field for this innovative form of
imaging diagnosis.
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