COLOR DOPPLER ENERGY - COMPUTER-ANALYSIS FOR DETECTION OF VOLUME FLOWVARIATIONS

The aims of this study were to (1) determine whether analysis of a col or Doppler energy image can show small differences in volume flow and (2) determine the performance characteristics of color Doppler energy to aid future analyses. mow through a silicone tube in a waterbath was insonated, and the images were analyzed by computer producing arbitra ry values for the different flow volumes at different machine settings . A significant difference in the derived values was found at volume f low changes of 10 ml/min. The differences are most pronounced when Sma ll amounts of color are shown in the vessel. This region of high sensi tivity can be altered by changing the machine settings of filter, scal e, or level. The angle of insonation must be taken into account. In co nclusion, computer analysis of color Doppler energy can monitor change s in blood flow volume with a high sensitivity.