Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine, Vol 9, Issue 9 487-493, Copyright © 1990 by American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine
The carotid ghost. A color Doppler ultrasound duplication artifact
W. D. Middleton and G. L. Melson
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110.
Color Doppler ultrasound examinations of the neck frequently demonstrate an
artifactual region of color assignment deep to the common carotid artery
that simulates blood flow in deep cervical arteries. Based on analysis of
imaging performed on 10 normal volunteers, it was shown that the pulsed
Doppler waveform originating from the artifact was identical to that of the
common carotid artery. It was also shown that the artifact was always
located deep to the common carotid artery regardless of location and
positioning of the transducer. In vitro modeling using a flow phantom
confirmed that the appearance was artifactual in nature. The mechanism of
production most likely is related to a mirroring phenomenon at the deep
wall of the common carotid artery.
