Blood flow and tissue motion with ultrasound for vascular applications

This paper provides a simple description of the fundamental principles of ultrasound vascular imaging. The mechanisms which govern the flow/pressure relationship are presented. The various components of the Doppler systems, namely continuous Doppler, pulse Doppler, color flow imaging and a potential new application called arterial wall motion are described. The time-domain approach to the Doppler effect is shown to be efficient for understanding of the signal processing path. The capabilities of the ultrasound system are illustrated with several clinical examples dealing with the particular problem of carotid stenoses. (C) 2001 Acadamie des sciences/Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.