Color and Power Doppler Sonography for Pneumothorax Detection

The use of B‐ and M‐mode sonography for detection of pneumothorax has been well described and studied. It is now widely incorporated by sonographers, emergency physicians, trauma surgeons, radiologists, and critical care specialists worldwide. Lung sonography can be performed rapidly at the bedside or in the prehospital setting. It is more sensitive, specific, and accurate than plain chest radiography. The use of color and power Doppler sonography as an adjunct to B‐ and M‐mode imaging for detection of pneumothorax has been described in a small number of studies and case reports but is much less widely known or used. Color and power Doppler imaging may be used for confirmation of the presence or absence of lung sliding detected with B‐mode sonography. In this article, we examine the physics behind Doppler sonography as it applies to the lung, technique, an actual case, and the past literature describing the use of color and power Doppler sonography for the detection of pneumothorax.     

Three‐Dimensional Color/Power Doppler Sonography and HD live Silhouette Mode for Diagnosis of Molar Pregnancy

We present our experience of using new 3‐dimensional color/power Doppler sonography (HDliveFlow; GE Healthcare Japan, Tokyo, Japan) with the HD live silhouette mode for diagnosing complete molar pregnancy in the first trimester and differentiating it from missed abortion with hydropic degeneration. In the case of a complete mole, color Doppler sonography showed numerous vesicles without blood vessels, whereas HDliveFlow with the HD live silhouette mode clearly depicted these vesicles forming a mass with the clear demarcation of its edges and showed no blood flow inside the mass. In contrast to the hydropic abortion, which appeared as some vesicles with many blood vessels around them on color Doppler sonography, HDliveFlow with the HD live silhouette mode showed some vesicles embedded within the abundant blood vessels. The spatial relationship between the vesicles and surrounding highly vascularized uterus could be shown on HDliveFlow with the HD live silhouette mode. This technique might be beneficial as an additional diagnostic tool along with conventional color/power Doppler sonography, and it facilitates the early discrimination of these cases in the first trimester of pregnancy.     

多普勒超声检查腹内血管所出现的伪像及局限性

目的 本文旨在研究多普勒超声检测门脉系统及腹内血管时所遇到的各种伪像及存在的问题。方法 利用多普勒超声,包括脉冲多普勒、彩色多普勒血流显像及彩色多普勒能量图检查门脉系统及腹内血管。结果 常见的伪像有镜像伪差、交替伪像、壁伪像、混迭以及闪烁伪像等。结论 由于多普勒技术与B型超声的不同点,不正确使用常常会出现许多伪像;另一方面,由于多普勒超声存在着与普通超声同样的技术问题,因此也受到气体、呼吸、腹水及肥胖的影响。本文还分析了产生各种伪像的机制并介绍了避免产生的方法。     

Gray scale and color Doppler sonography in the third stage of labor for early detection of failed placental separation.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was the characterization of normal and abnormal third stage placental separation using gray scale and color Doppler sonography. METHODS: The third stage of labor was examined in 62 patients using gray scale and color Doppler sonography. After identification of placental basal plate vessels by color Doppler sonography, the placentation site was examined throughout the third stage with combined gray scale and color Doppler mode. Placental separation from the myometrium was defined clinically and correlated to cessation of color Doppler detected blood flow in basal plate vessels. RESULTS: Three sonographic phases of placental separation were: (1) latent = interval between delivery of the fetus and beginning placental separation; (2) detachment = mono- or multiphasic shearing off of the placenta and (3) expulsion = interval between completed separation and vaginal delivery of the placenta. In 57 cases with clinically normal placental separation blood flow between placenta and myometrium ceased immediately after delivery of the fetus during the latent period. In five cases manual or instrumental removal was necessary because of placenta adhaerens in one case and placenta accreta in four cases. The latter showed maternal blood flow from the myometrium deep into the placenta beyond the latent phase. CONCLUSION: Cessation of blood flow between the basal placenta and myometrium following delivery of the baby is the sonographic hallmark of normal placental separation. Persistent blood flow demonstrated by color Doppler sonography is suggestive of placenta accreta.     

Power Doppler imaging of the fetal upper aerodigestive tract using a 4-point standardized evaluation: preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: Our investigation of fetal swallowing has identified potential limitations in the use of color Doppler imaging for detection of amniotic fluid flow and discrimination of respiratory from ingestive activity. The objective of this study was to evaluate an alternative imaging modality, power Doppler sonography, as a technique to enhance detection of amniotic fluid flow in the upper aerodigestive tract. METHODS: We applied a standardized 4-axis sonographic examination of upper aerodigestive structures and used power Doppler imaging to document amniotic fluid flow. Normal aerodigestive activities from 62 healthy control subjects were compared with 4 abnormal cases. RESULTS: Our longitudinal experience with 66 subjects showed that a directed evaluation of the fetal upper aerodigestive tract with power Doppler imaging provided a systematic approach for studying the physiologic development of this region in both healthy and at-risk fetuses. CONCLUSIONS: A standardized 4-axis examination with power Doppler imaging is a useful adjunct in addressing ingestive and respiratory functions in the developing fetus.     

Visualization of blood flow in hepatic vessels and hepatocellular carcinoma using B-flow sonography

PURPOSE: A B-flow sonographic technique was recently developed to provide direct visualization of blood flow with gray-scale sonography. Compared with color Doppler sonography, B-flow imaging has wideband resolution and a high frame rate. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of B-flow sonography for visualizing blood flow in hepatic vessels and tumor vascularity in patients with liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Twenty-five patients with liver cirrhosis, including 15 with HCC, were studied by B-flow and color Doppler sonography. Blood-flow detection rates in portal veins and hepatic arteries and tumor vascularity in HCC were analyzed, and the 2 methods were compared. RESULTS: Using B-flow, blood flow was visualized in the portal vein in 23 (92%) of 25 patients and was visualized in the hepatic artery separately from the portal vein in 9 (36%) of 25 patients. The blood-flow signals were visualized only within vessels, never "bleeding" outside the vessel's lumen. Blood flow in the portal vein was observed with color Doppler sonography in all 25 patients, but the hepatic artery was never clearly separated from the portal vein. Vascularity within the HCC tumor was detected in 9 (60%) of 15 nodules with B-flow imaging, and fine arteries flowing into the tumor were observed in 6 nodules. Color Doppler sonography detected blood flow in 13 (87%) of the 15 HCC nodules. CONCLUSIONS: Blood flow in hepatic vessels and tumor vessels of HCC were visualized with B-flow sonography. B-flow sonography is a potentially useful technique for the evaluation of liver vascularity and intratumoral vessels.     

Role of color Doppler imaging in differentiating between pseudocystic malignant tumors and fluid collections.

The differentiation between a pseudocystic solid tumor and a fluid collection containing echoes is sometimes difficult. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of color Doppler sonography in confirming the solid nature of pseudocystic malignant tumors by demonstrating internal vascularity. Fourteen consecutive masses with an indeterminate solid or cystic appearance on conventional sonograms were evaluated with color Doppler sonography for the presence of blood flow within the boundaries of the mass. Color Doppler sonography demonstrated the presence of some blood flow in all 12 solid malignant tumors, whereas no flow was visualized in the two fluid collections. By demonstrating the presence of internal blood flow in solid tumors, color Doppler sonography can rapidly confirm the solid nature of markedly hypoechoic malignant tumors that mimic fluid collections on conventional sonograms.     

彩超对肝脏囊性病变的鉴别诊断价值

目的　探讨彩色多普勒超声在肝脏囊性病变鉴别诊断中的价值。方法　对临床和病理证实的 2 0例肝脏囊性恶性肿瘤、 2 4例肝脓肿和 4 8例肝脏囊性良性肿瘤 (肝囊肿 )的灰阶超声及彩色多普勒超声表现进行了分析。对每类病灶的大小、形态、边界、囊壁回声、囊内分隔及彩色血流的有无、部位、性质进行统计比较。结果　灰阶超声和彩色多普勒超声可以反映肝脏囊性病变的结构特征及血流特征。肝脏囊性恶性肿瘤中 ,囊壁及囊壁结节内检出血流信号、囊内出现分隔、囊壁有结节或乳头的比例显著高于肝脓肿和肝囊肿 (P<0 .0 5 ) ,以囊内检出血流信号为标准 ,鉴别肝囊性恶性肿瘤的敏感性、特异性分别为 85 .0 %和 94 .4 %。结论　灰阶超声在肝脏囊性病变的鉴别诊断中有一定的意义 ,彩色多普勒在囊壁、分隔或乳头上检出血流信号对肝脏囊性恶性肿瘤诊断具有很高的特异性和敏感性     

Evaluation of solid breast lesions with power Doppler sonography.

PURPOSE: We compared the abilities of power and conventional color Doppler sonography to depict the vascularity of solid breast lesions and evaluated the usefulness of power Doppler sonography in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions. METHODS: One hundred two solid breast lesions (59 benign and 43 malignant lesions) were studied with power and color Doppler sonography. Power and color Doppler sonograms were retrospectively compared for the depiction of blood flow signals. Power Doppler images were also reviewed for the amount of Doppler signals, pattern of vascularity, and morphology of vessels. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the 2 techniques were calculated. RESULTS: Compared with color Doppler sonography, power Doppler sonography depicted flow superiorly in 61 cases (60%) and equally in 41 cases (40%). On power Doppler sonography, the incidence of marked blood flow in malignant lesions (65%) was higher than that in benign lesions (39%). The pattern of vascularity was predominantly central (86%) and/or penetrating (65%) more often in malignant lesions than in benign lesions (51% and 34%, respectively). Branching (56%) and disordered vessels (42%) were seen more often in malignant lesions than in benign lesions (22% and 8%, respectively). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in diagnosing malignancy were 64%, 76%, and 71%, respectively, for power Doppler sonography and 77%, 76%, and 76% for color Doppler sonography. CONCLUSIONS: Power Doppler sonography was more sensitive than color Doppler sonography in the detection of flow in solid breast lesions. Although power Doppler sonography was not more effective in diagnosing malignant lesions, central and penetrating vascularity patterns and branching and disordered vessels seem to be helpful findings in predicting malignancy.     

Color and power Doppler sonography of liver hemangiomas: a dream unfulfilled?

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine whether color Doppler or power Doppler sonography can aid in the diagnosis of hepatic cavernous hemangiomas. METHODS: We imaged 25 hepatic cavernous hemangiomas in 17 patients with gray-scale, color Doppler, and power Doppler sonography. Five malignant lesions were also imaged in the same manner for reference. Hemangiomas had been previously diagnosed by biopsy in 8 patients (15 lesions) and by CT, MRI, and/or tagged red blood cell scanning in 9 patients (10 lesions). RESULTS: Of the 25 hemangiomas, color or power Doppler imaging showed no internal blood flow in 23. Of these 23 lesions, 11 showed a peripheral flow pattern believed to represent flow in displaced blood vessels. This pattern was better visualized with power Doppler imaging in 3 lesions and equally well visualized with color and power Doppler imaging in 8 lesions. Two hemangiomas that had unusual central fibrosis with large vessels in 1 patient showed diffusely increased blood flow on power Doppler study. All 5 malignant lesions showed flow in peripheral vessels, and 1 showed internal vascularity as well. CONCLUSIONS: Neither color nor power Doppler imaging improved the capability of sonography for making a specific diagnosis of benign hepatic cavernous hemangioma.     

Color Doppler sonographic findings in renal vascular lesions

Three patients with renal vascular lesions, one congenital arteriovenous (AV) fistula and two renal pseudoaneurysms, were assessed with color Doppler sonography. The AV fistula was detected initially by color Doppler after having been missed by both real-time sonography and computed tomography. High frequency shift blood flow within a hypoechoic lesion noted by color Doppler characterized the AV communication. Both renal pseudoaneurysms had detectable bidirectional swirling blood flow within an anechoic portion of a complex mass. Findings in all three cases were confirmed by angiography or pathology. Color Doppler sonography seems potentially useful in the evaluation of renal vascular pathology.     

超声对肝局灶性结节样增生的诊断价值

目的探讨肝局灶性结节样增生(FNH)的超声表现及其诊断价值.方法 28例均行超声及生化检查,并均经手术及病理证实.结果 28例FNH中共有30个病灶,超声全部检出.二维超声多表现为低或稍低回声(83%),多发生于近肝缘处(79%);13例彩色多普勒显示动脉频谱者占69%,呈轮辐状血流信号者占23%.生化检查发现所有病例AFP均阴性.结论常规超声结合彩色多普勒超声和AFP阴性可提高FNH的诊断准确性.     

Color Doppler sonography of focal gastrointestinal lesions: initial clinical experience.

Graded compression color Doppler sonography was used to evaluate gastrointestinal blood flow in 20 normal fasting subjects and 32 patients with focal gastrointestinal lesions. Imaging was optimized for color sensitivity using a 5 MHz linear array transducer. Criteria were established for normal mural blood flow based on findings in normal controls. Two reviewers blinded to the final diagnosis compared patterns of mural vascularity in normal and abnormal patients. Increased mural blood flow was demonstrated in all 32 patients with gastrointestinal inflammatory disorders and in seven of nine patients with neoplasms. No mural flow was demonstrated in four patients with small bowel infarction. The greatest overall degree of flow was noted in patients with Crohn's disease and cytomegalovirus colitis. Flow in tumors was variable, ranging from strikingly increased flow in a giant villoglandular polyp to absent flow in a metastasis from lung carcinoma. Our preliminary experience suggests that the presence of considerable overlap in the color Doppler patterns of mural blood flow in inflammatory and neoplastic lesions. Color Doppler sonography alone without spectral waveform analysis may not distinguish focal inflammatory from neoplastic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract reliably. However, this technique potentially may be useful in diagnosing small bowel ischemia when thickened segments of small bowel are identified with absent flow.     

浅表组织肿块超声诊断与术后病理对照分析

目的评价高频彩色多普勒血流显像及频谱多普勒对浅表组织肿块诊断价值。方法应用Philipsiu22彩色多普勒高频超声对79例患者的浅表组织肿块进行二维（大小、形态、内部回声）、彩色多普勒（肿块内外血供）及频谱多普勒血流参数（血流速度及阻力指数）检测;并逐一追踪术后病理结果,将二者结果进行对照分析。结果良性病变74例,恶性病变5例;实性病变45例,囊性病变18例,混合性病变16例。超声对病变检出率为100％（79／79）,与术后病理对照诊断符合率96％（76／79）,良恶性病变频谱参数（峰值流速及阻力指数）存在统计学差异（P〈0．05）。结论超声检查具有检出率高和病理符合率高的特点,可作为诊断首选方法,彩色多普勒及频谱参数鉴别肿块的良恶性具有较高的价值。     

Localized gallbladder carcinoma: sonographic findings

Our study of color (seven cases) and contrast (three cases) Doppler results of seven cases with gallbladder carcinoma localized in the gallbladder wall (TNM stage T1) showed that the presence or absence of blood flow signals distinguishes gallbladder carcinoma in stage T1b (muscular involvement) from tumefactive biliary sludge and that injection of contrast medium markedly increased diagnostic confidence. Thus, when color Doppler sonography is ambiguous, contrast-enhanced Doppler sonography is the next line of investigation. However, actual color Doppler sonography is still not fully capable of displaying fine blood flow signals from gallbladder carcinoma in stage T1a (mucosal involvement), and greater Doppler sensitivity is mandatory for this purpose.     

Applications of Transcranial Color‐Coded Sonography in the Emergency Department

Transcranial color‐coded Doppler sonography is a noninvasive bedside ultrasound application that combines both imaging of parenchymal structures and Doppler assessment of intracranial vessels. It may aid in rapid diagnoses and treatment decision making of patients with intracranial emergencies in point‐of‐care settings. This pictorial essay illustrates the technical aspects and emergency department applications of transcranial color‐coded Doppler sonography, and provides some rationale for implementation of this technique into the emergency department practice.     

Differential diagnosis of solid breast lesions: contribution of Doppler studies to mammography and gray scale imaging.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of Doppler sonography when used in conjunction with mammography and gray scale sonography in differentiating solid breast lesions and to find out whether lesion size is a limiting factor for Doppler evaluation. METHODS: One hundred twelve lesions (70 malignant and 42 benign) detected with mammography and sonography were prospectively examined with color, power, and pulsed Doppler sonography. Vascularity was analyzed morphologically (vessel location, form, and color tone) and semiquantitatively (by spectral indices) to determine the valuable diagnostic flow characteristics. The lesions were classified by 2 observers as benign or malignant on the basis of each diagnostic technique (namely, a combination of mammography and gray scale sonography, presence or absence of blood flow, morphologic flow analysis, and spectral flow analysis). The results were compared with the histologic diagnosis in 105 lesions and with the clinical and radiologic diagnosis after at least 2 years of follow-up in 7 lesions. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the mammography-gray scale sonography combination were 98.6% and 76.2%, respectively. Neither morphologic nor spectral Doppler analysis proved to be successful on its own, however, information obtained from investigated morphologic and spectral flow features increased the specificity of mammography and gray scale sonography for lesions 10 mm and smaller (from 88.9% to 100%) and those larger than 10 mm (from 70% to 96.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that Doppler sonography is a beneficial adjunct to mammography and gray scale sonography for solid breast lesions 10 mm and smaller and those larger than 10 mm.     

Power Doppler sonography in the diagnosis of Graves' disease.

In addition to color and pulsed Doppler sonography findings, we aimed to describe power Doppler sonography findings in Graves' disease in this study. Twenty-three patients with Graves' disease were imaged with gray-scale, color and power Doppler sonography. Twenty normal volunteers were examined by the same equipment and the same technique as a control group. A subjective grading system was used to categorize the vascularization in pulsed Doppler sonography images from normal to markedly increased vascularization. Power Doppler sonography exhibited diffuse hypervascularity in the thyroid gland in all patients. The flow was covering about all the parenchyma. Four patients showed mild, 12 patients moderate and seven patients marked vascularity. The intensity of power Doppler flow pattern was not correlated with the severity of the disease. This study demonstrated that power Doppler sonography is a convenient, time saving, inexpensive and noninvasive method as compared with isotope scan and some other laboratory tests for confirmation of Graves' disease.     

低回声型肝血管瘤的彩色多普勒超声检测

目的　探讨彩色多普勒超声在诊断低回声型血管瘤中的应用价值。方法　应用二维超声、彩色多普勒血流图 (CDFI)、彩色能量多普勒血流图 (PDI) ,结合脉冲多普勒频谱对 18例共 2 2个低回声型肝血管瘤进行研究。结果　 CDFI对低回声型肝血管瘤内血流显示率 2 7.2 7% ,PDI对低回声型肝血管瘤血流显示率 90 .91%。动脉血流检出率为 2 2 .73%。“病灶染色” 9个 (40 .91% )。低回声型肝血管瘤血流呈低速 ,阻力指数 (RI) <0 .6(6 0 % )。结论　彩色多普勒超声对低回声型肝血管瘤的诊断和鉴别诊断有重要价值。     

Acute diseases of the scrotum.

Several imaging modalities are available for evaluating the patient with acute scrotal pain. Until recently, scintigraphy was the initial procedure of choice in most patients, as it was the only noninvasive technique for determining integrity of blood flow to the testicle. Ultrasound was valuable when the scintiscan was inconclusive or in the setting of scrotal trauma. With the advent of color Doppler sonography, information about both structure and blood flow can be obtained by means of a single imaging study. If initial promising results with this newer technique are borne out, color Doppler is likely to become the primary diagnostic test in patients with acute scrotal pain. The role of MRI and MRS has yet to be defined.