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Duplex Ultrasound
Duplex ultrasound combines Doppler flow information and conventional imaging information, sometimes called B-mode, to allow physicians to see the structure of your blood vessels. Duplex ultrasound shows how blood is flowing through your vessels and measures the speed of blood flow. It can also be useful to estimate the diameter of a blood vessel as well as the amount of obstruction, if any, in the blood vessel.
Doppler ultrasound measures how sound waves reflect off of moving objects. A wand bounces short bursts of sound waves off of red blood cells and sends the information to a computer. Doppler ultrasound produces two-dimensional color images that reveal if blood flow is affected by problems in the blood vessels, such as cholesterol deposits.
How It Works
When performing duplex ultrasound, your physician uses the two forms of ultrasound together. The conventional ultrasound shows the structure of your blood vessels and the Doppler ultrasound shows the movement of your red blood cells through the vessels. Duplex ultrasound produces images that can be color coded to show physicians where your blood flow is severely blocked as well as the speed and direction of blood flow.
Your physician may recommend a duplex ultrasound to help diagnose and examine conditions that affect the blood vessels. These conditions include carotid disease, deep venous thrombosis, leg artery disease, and aneurysms in the aorta.