Doppler Ultrasound basic principles, some anatomy, pathology and interpretations

Is a Doppler the same as an ultrasound?

What is Doppler test in pregnancy?

How long does it take to get results from a Doppler test?

What is a Doppler test for DVT?

What is a Doppler ultrasound?

A Doppler ultrasound is a test that uses high-frequency sound waves to measure the amount of blood flow through your arteries and veins, usually those that supply blood to your arms and legs.

Vascular flow studies, also known as blood flow studies, can detect abnormal flow within an artery or blood vessel. This can help to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions, including blood clots and poor circulation. A Doppler ultrasound can be used as part of a blood flow study.

A Doppler ultrasound is a risk-free and pain-free procedure that requires little preparation. The test provides your doctor with important information about the flow of blood through your major arteries and veins. It can also reveal blocked or reduced blood flow through narrowed areas in the arteries, which could eventually lead to a stroke.

Why do I need a Doppler ultrasound?

Your doctor may suggest a Doppler ultrasound exam if you show signs of decreased blood flow in the arteries or veins of your legs, arms, or neck. A reduced amount of blood flow may be due to a blockage in the artery, a blood clot inside a blood vessel, or an injury to a blood vessel.

Your doctor may order a Doppler ultrasound exam if you show signs of:

deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein deep inside your body (usually in the leg or hip regions)

superficial thrombophlebitis, an inflammation of the veins due to a blood clot in a vein just below the skin's surface

arteriosclerosis, a narrowing and hardening of the arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet

thromboangiitis obliterans, a rare disease in which the blood vessels of the hands and feet become inflamed and swollen

vascular tumors in your arms or legs

A Doppler ultrasound can help determine the blood pressure within your arteries. It can also show how much blood is currently flowing through your arteries and veins.

Doppler ultrasound

An application of diagnostic ultrasound used to detect moving blood cells or other moving structures and measure their direction and speed of movement. The Doppler effect is used to evaluate movement by measuring changes in frequency of the echoes reflected from moving structures.

In many instances, Doppler ultrasound has replaced x-ray methods such as angiography, as a method to evaluate blood vessels and blood flow. Doppler ultrasound permits real-time viewing of blood flow that cannot be obtained by other methods. Doppler ultrasound has proved a boon in all areas of ultrasound, aiding in the evaluation of the major arteries and veins of the body, the heart, and in obstetrics for fetal monitoring.

Types of Doppler ultrasound include:

Color Doppler

Power Doppler

Spectral Doppler

This app was designed to teach clinically relevant aspects of Doppler to sonography student, sonographers and physicians. I wanted this to stimulate the conversation in the reading room.

This app covers the basic principles, some anatomy, normal waveform , pathology and interpretations.