Referring physicians and number of repeat color duplex ultrasonographies carried out in a radiological university department

Purpose: Who refers patients for a color duplex ultrasonography (CDUS) in t he routine work of a radiological university department and how frequent ar e repeat examinations? Material and Methods: 1110 patients had at least one CDUS examination between 5/97 acid 5/98. The specialities of the referring physicians/primary examiners and the inpatient or outpatient status of the patients were documented at the first consultation. Additionally the patie nts were asked by the medical staff, whether, how often, and by whom ultras onographic, CT, or MR examinations of the same organ system had been carrie d out during the last 4 weeks without evidence of any clinical changes. Res ults: 97% of the 1118 patients were referred by one of the university depar tments. The arterial system was exclusively investigated in 58% and the ven ous system in 29% of the cases. 81% of the 651 arterial examinations were r equested by the Departments of Vascular/Cardiac Surgery and Radiology. 75 r epeated ultrasonographic examinations were documented in 67 (6%) of the 111 8 consultations. Repetitions were documented in 8% of the arterial and in 3 % of the venous examinations. X-ray angiographies were already done or plan ned in 105 of the 625 arterial CDUS (16%). Ultrasonographic referrals with parallel phlebographies (1% of 320 venous indications) as well as parallel CT and MR examinations (1% of the 1118 consultations, respectively) were th e exception. Conclusions: In the described setting, CDUS was mainly used to assess the arterial vascular system prior to vascular surgery and radiolog ical interventions. Repeat ultrasonographies alone (6%) and parallel examin ations altogether (14%) were observed less frequently than expected.