TESTICULAR BLOOD-FLOW IN BOYS AS ASSESSED AT COLOR DOPPLER AND POWER DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY

PURPOSE: To investigate at which age testicular blood flow can be demo nstrated consistently by color Doppler sonography and power Doppler so nography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, 172 normal testes of 86 boys (age range, 4 days to 15 years) were examined with gray-scale ultrasound, color Doppler sonography, and power Doppler son ography. Presence of supratesticular and capsular vessels was determin ed, testicular volumes were assessed, and intratesticular vessels were quantified by using a semiquantitative score. RESULTS: Supratesticula r and capsular vessels were always detectable. Demonstration of intrat esticular vessels was inconsistent until 8 years of age at power Doppl er sonography and until 12 years of age at color Doppler sonography. P ower Doppler sonography depicted more vessels than did color Doppler s onography in 37 (22%) testes (P = .001), and it depicted vessels in 13 (25%) of 51 testes in which color Doppler sonography could not (P = . 0002). Correlation between the number of visible intratesticular vesse ls was slightly closer with age than with testicular volume (r = .59, r = .55 for color Doppler sonography and power Doppler sonography, res pectively). CONCLUSION: Intratesticular blood flow can be detected mor e sensitively and more consistently from a younger age on with power D oppler sonography than with color Doppler sonography.