Doppler studies
Doppler studies
Healthcare professionals use ultrasounds to examine internal structures, such as bones and organs. They use a Doppler ultrasound to analyze how well blood is flowing through the veins and arteries.
A Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of how a person’s blood is flowing through their veins and arteries. The goal is often to check blood flow through the arms and legs.
During a Doppler ultrasound, a handheld device emits sound waves that bounce off moving objects, such as blood cells. The reflected sound waves create an image of the way the blood is flowing.
There are several types of Doppler
- A color Doppler helps visualize the movement, speed, and direction of blood flow in color.
- A power Doppler is a newer form of color Doppler that provides more detail, but it cannot show in which direction blood is flowing.
- A duplex Doppler takes a standard image of a blood vessel and graphs the data.
- A spectral Doppler shows blood flow as graphed data, and it can show whether the blood flow is blocked.
- A continuous-wave Doppler sends a continuous stream of soundwaves, which allows the ultrasound to more accurately measure blood moving at faster speeds.