Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 16, Issue 10 679-684, Copyright © 1997 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
Color Doppler energy: computer analysis for detection of volume flow variations
A. Nilsson, P. A. Olofsson, I. Loren, L. Carlstedt and P. Nilsson
Department of Radiology, University Hospital MAS, University of Lund, Malmo, Sweden.
The aims of this study were to (1) determine whether analysis of a color
Doppler energy image can show small differences in volume flow and (2)
determine the performance characteristics of color Doppler energy to aid
future analyses. Flow through a silicone tube in a waterbath was insonated,
and the images were analyzed by computer producing arbitrary values for the
different flow volumes at different machine settings. A significant
difference in the derived values was found at volume low changes of 10
ml/min. The differences are most pronounced when small amounts of color are
shown in the vessel. This region of high sensitivity can be altered by
changing the machine settings of filter, scale, or level. The angle of
insonation must be taken into account. In conclusion, computer analysis of
color Doppler energy can monitor changes in blood flow volume with a high
sensitivity.
