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Doppler Ultrasound
Test Overview
ADopplerultrasoundtestusesreflectedsoundwavestoseehowbloodflowsthrough
abloodvessel.Ithelpsdoctorsassessthebloodflowthroughmajorarteriesandveins,
suchasthoseofthearms,legs,andneck.Itcanshowblockedorreducedflowof
bloodthroughnarrowareasinthemajorarteriesoftheneck.Thisproblemcouldcause
astroke.Thetestalsocanfindbloodclotsinlegveins(deepveinthrombosis,orDVT)
thatcouldbreaklooseandblockbloodflowtothelungs.Thisproblemiscalleda
pulmonaryembolism.Duringpregnancy,Dopplerultrasoundmaybeusedtolookat
bloodflowinanunbornbabytocheckthebaby'shealth.
DuringDopplerultrasound,ahandhelddeviceispassedlightlyovertheskinabovea
bloodvessel.Thedeviceiscalledatransducer.Itsendsandreceivessoundwaves
thatareamplifiedthroughamicrophone.Thesoundwavesbounceoffsolidobjects,
includingbloodcells.Themovementofbloodcells causesachangeinthepitchof
thereflectedsoundwaves.ThisiscalledtheDopplereffect.Ifthereisnobloodflow,
thepitchdoesnotchange.
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Informationfromthereflectedsoundwavescanbeusedtomakegraphsorpictures
thatshowtheflowofbloodthroughthebloodvessels.Thesegraphsorpicturescanbe
savedandreviewedlater.
ThethreebasictypesofDopplerultrasoundare:
"Bedside"orcontinuouswaveDoppler.Thistypeusesthechangeinpitchofthe
soundwavestoprovideinformationaboutbloodflowthroughabloodvessel.The
doctorlistenstothesoundsmadebythetransducertoassessthebloodflow
throughanareathatmaybeblockedornarrowed.Thistypeofultrasoundcanbe
doneatthebedsideinthehospital.Itusesaportablemachinethatcanquickly
checktheextentofbloodvesseldamageordisease.
DuplexDoppler.Thistestusesstandardultrasoundmethodstomakeapictureof
abloodvesselandtheorgansaroundit.AcomputerturnstheDopplersounds
intoagraph.Thisgraphhelpstoshowthespeedanddirectionofbloodflow
throughthebloodvessel.
ColorDoppler.ColorDopplerusesstandardultrasoundmethodstomakea
pictureofabloodvessel.AcomputerchangestheDopplersoundsintocolors
thatareoverlaidontheimageofthebloodvessel.Thesecolorsshowthespeed
anddirectionofbloodflowthroughthevessel.PowerDopplerisaspecialtypeof
colorDoppler.PowerDopplercangetsomeimagesthatarehardorimpossible
togetusingstandardcolorDoppler.PowerDopplerismostoftenusedtolookat
bloodflowthroughvesselswithinsolidorgans.
http://www.webmd.com/dvt/dopplerultrasound?print=true 1/6
3/12/2017 DopplerUltrasound
Dopplerultrasoundisdoneto:
Findbloodclotsandblockedornarrowedbloodvesselsinalmostanypartofthe
body.It'smostoftenusedfortheneck,arms,andlegs.
Checklegpainthatmaybecausedbyintermittentclaudication.Thisisa
conditioncausedbyatherosclerosisofthelowerlimbs.
Assessbloodflowafterastrokeorotherconditionthatmightbecausedbya
problemwithbloodflow.Afterastroke ,thiscanbedonewithatestcalled
transcranialDoppler(TCD)ultrasound.
Checkforvaricoseveinsorotherveinproblems.
Mapveinsthatmaybeusedforbloodvesselgrafts.Italsocanlookatthehealth
ofgraftsusedtobypassblockageinanarmorleg.
Findouttheamountofbloodflowtoatransplantedkidneyorliver.
Monitortheflowofbloodafterbloodvesselsurgery.
Findthepresence,amount,andlocationofarterialplaque.Plaqueinthecarotid
arteriescanreducebloodflowtothebrain.Thismayincreasetheriskofstroke
.
Guidetreatmentsuchaslaserorradiofrequencyablationofabnormalveins.
Checkthehealthofafetus .Itmaycheckbloodflowintheumbilicalcord,
throughtheplacenta,orintheheartandbrain ofthefetus .Thistestcan
showifthefetus isgettingenoughoxygenandnutrients.Dopplerultrasound
maybeusedtoguidedecisionsduringpregnancywhen:
Thefetusissmallerthannormalforthegestationalage.Bloodflowthrough
thelargebloodvesselintheumbilicalcord(theumbilicalartery)canbe
lookedat.
Rhsensitizationhasoccurred.Bloodflowthroughabloodvesselinthe
brain canbeusedtocheckthehealthofthefetus.
Themotherhasotherproblems,suchaspreeclampsiaorsicklecell
disease.
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AtranscranialDoppler(TCD)ultrasoundmaybeusedinchildrenwithsicklecell
disease.Thetestcancheckfortheriskofstroke.
How To Prepare
For30minutesto2hoursbeforethetest,youmayneedtostopusingproductsthat
containnicotine.Thisincludescigarettesandchewingtobacco .Nicotinecauses
bloodvesselstonarrow,whichmaygivefalseresults.
How It Is Done
Thistestisdonebyadoctorwhoisanexpertinimagingtests(radiologist).Oritmay
bedonebyanultrasoundtechnologist(sonographer)whoworkswitharadiologist.Itis
doneinanultrasoundroominahospitalordoctor'soffice.
YouwillneedtoremoveanyjewelrythatmightaffecttheDopplerultrasoundscan.You
mayneedtotakeoffallormostofyourclothes,dependingonwhichpartofthebodyis
beingexamined.Youmaybeallowedtokeeponyourunderwearifitdoesnotaffect
thetest.Youwillbegivenaclothorpapercoveringtouseduringthetest.
Doppl... SUBSCRIBE
Forabdominalscans,youwilllieonyourback.
SEARCH
http://www.webmd.com/dvt/dopplerultrasound?print=true 2/6
3/12/2017 DopplerUltrasound
Forchestscans,youwilllieonyourbackwithyourneckslightlyextended.
Forheadandneckscans,yourheadmaybeturnedtooneside.
Foranarmorlegscan,yourheadwillbeslightlyraised.Theexposedarmorleg
willbeturnedslightlyoutward.Sometimesforalegscan,youmaybeaskedtolie
onyourstomach.
Duringpregnancy,youwilllieonyourbackoronyourleftsidewithyourbelly
exposed.
Gelisappliedtotheskintohelpthesoundwavespassthrough.Thetransduceris
placedinthegelandmovedalongtheskin.Youneedtolieverystillduringthetest.
Youmayhearsoundsfromtheflowofbloodthroughthebloodvessels.
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Thetestusuallytakes30to60minutes.
Arteries in the arms and legs
Thistestisoftendoneonbotharmsorbothlegs.Evenifthesuspectedbloodflow
problemisinonlyonelimb,bothmaybetestedtocomparethem.Ifyourarmsare
beingtested,theywillbetestedfirstwhileyouliedown.Thenthey'llbetestedagain
whileyousit.
Dependingonwhichbloodvesselsarebeingtested,abloodpressurecuffmaybe
wrappedaroundoneorbothlimbs.Itallowsyourbloodpressuretobetakenatseveral
differentplaces.Whenthelegsaretested,abloodpressurecuffmaybewrappedfirst
aroundthecalfandthenaroundthethigh.Thetestmaybedoneatseveralplaceson
yourleg.Whenthearmsaretested,thepressurecuffmaybewrappedfirstaroundthe
forearmandthenaroundtheupperarm.
Testingmaybedonebeforeandafterexercise,ifyouarehealthyenough.
Veins in the arms and legs
Forthistest,youwillbeaskedtoliedownandbreathenormally.Youmustlieverystill.
Anychangesinbloodflowthatareaffectedbyhowyoubreathearenoted.
Thetestmayberepeatedwhiletheexaminerpressesontheveinsclosetothesurface
ofyourskin.Thishelpstofindaclotinthevein.It'scalledacompressionmaneuver.
Theexaminermaydothismaneuverwithyourlegsorarmsindifferentpositions.This
istomakesurethatthebloodsupplyisnotblockedinthesepositions.Heorshemay
alsosqueezeyourcalf orforearmtohelpbloodmovemorequicklythroughthe
veins.Thisiscalledanaugmentationmaneuver.Itisdonetocheckbloodflowtoward
yourheart .
Whileyourlegsarebeingtested,youmayalsobeaskedtotrytobreatheoutstrongly
withyournosepinchedandyourmouthclosed.ThisiscalledaValsalvamaneuver.It
usuallycausesasuddenchangeinbloodflowthroughtheveins.
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Youwillbeaskedtoliedownwithapillowunderyourheadforsupport.Thetestis
doneonbothsidesofyourneck.Thentheresultsarecomparedtostandardvaluesto
Doppl...
findouthowmuchthearteriesareblockedornarrowed.
Transcranial ultrasound
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http://www.webmd.com/dvt/dopplerultrasound?print=true 3/6
3/12/2017 DopplerUltrasound
Forthistypeofultrasound,thetransducerispassedlightlyovertheskinatthebaseor
sideofyourskull.
During pregnancy
Thetransducerismovedbackandforthonyourbellyuntilthedoctorfindstheblood
vesselthatneedstobestudied.Afterthedoctorhasfoundthebloodvessel,itmay
takesometimetoassessthebloodflow.
How It Feels
HavingaDopplerultrasoundtestdoesn'tnormallycausediscomfort.Thegelmayfeel
coldwhenitisputonyourskinunlessitiswarmedfirst.Ifyourbloodpressureistaken
duringthetest,youwillfeelpressurewhenthebloodpressurecuffisinflated.
Risks
TherearenoknownriskslinkedwithaDopplerultrasoundtest.Thistestwillnotharm
anunbornbaby(fetus).
Results
ADopplerultrasoundtestusesreflectedsoundwavestoseehowbloodflowsthrough
abloodvessel.
CONTINUE READING BELOW
Dopplerultrasound
The test does not show significant narrowing or other problems in any of the arteries.
Normal:
There is no sign of a clot in any of the veins examined. The size and position of veins are
normal.
Normal blood ow is found in the blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to a fetus.
For continuous wave Doppler or duplex Doppler, differences in blood ow between the right
and left sides of the body may be heard. At the exact spot where an artery is blocked or
Abnormal: narrowed, the sound may be high-pitched or turbulent. Blockage (such as from a blood clot),
an aneurysm, or narrowing of a blood vessel may be found. The speed of blood ow may be
compared to standard values to nd out how blocked or narrow the blood vessel is.
A duplex Doppler ultrasound graph may show blood ow that isn't normal. This is a sign of a
blocked or narrowed blood vessel.
A color Doppler image may show a blocked or narrowed blood vessel or an aneurysm.
In the veins, a blood clot may be present if blood ow does not change in response to
breathing or does not increase after either a compression maneuver or Valsalva maneuver.
Incomplete blockage of a vein by a blood clot may be seen on color Doppler or during a
compression maneuver.
There is an abnormal increase or decrease in blood ow through the vessels that supply
oxygen and nutrients to a fetus.
http://www.webmd.com/dvt/dopplerultrasound?print=true 4/6
3/12/2017 DopplerUltrasound
Youmaynotbeabletohavethetest,ortheresultsmaynotbehelpful,if:
Therearebonesabovetheareabeingstudiedorgasintheintestines.Thismay
affectthepictures.
Youarenotabletostaystillduringthetest.
Youareextremelyoverweight.
Youhaveabnormalheartrhythms(arrhythmias)orheartdisease.Thismay
causechangesinbloodflowpatternseventhoughthebloodvesselsarenormal.
Yourarmorlegiscold.Bloodflowthroughthatlimbmaybeslowed.
Youhaveanopenwoundintheareathatneedstobeviewed.
What To Think About
IttakesaskilledexaminertogetaccuratetestresultsforaDopplerultrasound.
Thescansareusuallyreadwithinashortperiodoftimeincaserepeattestsare
needed.
Dopplerultrasoundrequiresapersontoholdverystill,sosomechildrenmay
needtobegivenmedicinetomakethemsleep.Thisisdonesothattheir
movementsdonotaffecttheresults.
AngiographyandvenographyareXrayteststhatuseaninjectedcontrast
material.Inmanycases,Dopplerultrasoundmaybedoneinsteadofthesetests.
Thisisbecauseit'sfaster,costsless,andisnoninvasive.Ifresultsfroma
Dopplerultrasoundareunclear,anangiographyorvenographytestmaybe
done.AngiographyisusuallymoreaccuratethanDopplerultrasound.Itisalso
consideredthemostreliabletestforcheckingthebloodflowthroughanartery.
Magneticresonanceangiography(MRA)andcomputedtomography
angiography(CTA)maybedoneinsteadofregularangiography.That'sbecause
thesetestsarelessinvasiveandeasiertodothanregularangiography.Insome
cases,venographymaybeneededtoconfirmasuspectedveinproblem.
Angiogram
MagneticResonanceAngiogram(MRA)
ADopplerultrasoundmaybeusedtocheckmanybodyorgans.It'salsosafeto
haveitwhenyouarepregnant.
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References
CherneckyCC,BergerBJ(2008).LaboratoryTestsandDiagnostic
Procedures,5thed.St.Louis:Saunders.
FischbachFT,DunningMBIII,eds.(2009).ManualofLaboratoryand
DiagnosticTests,8thed.Philadelphia:LippincottWilliamsand
Wilkins.
PaganaKD,PaganaTJ(2010).MosbysManualofDiagnosticand
LaboratoryTests,4thed.St.Louis:MosbyElsevier.
RomanAS(2013).Latepregnancycomplications.InAHDeCherney
etal.,eds.,CurrentDiagnosisandTreatmentObstetrics&
Doppl...
Gynecology,11thed.,pp.250266.NewYork:McGrawHill.
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Credits
http://www.webmd.com/dvt/dopplerultrasound?print=true 5/6
3/12/2017 DopplerUltrasound
Credits
ByHealthwiseStaff
PrimaryMedicalReviewerKathleenRomito,MDFamilyMedicine
SpecialistMedicalReviewerHowardSchaff,MDDiagnosticRadiology
CurrentasofAugust21,2015
http://www.webmd.com/dvt/dopplerultrasound?print=true 6/6