B-mode flow imaging of the carotid artery.
OBJECTIVE
B-mode ultrasonography has been used to evaluate cervical carotid artery lesions. Recently, the technology for direct visualization of blood reflectors has made B-mode flow imaging (B-flow) possible without the limitations of Doppler technology. We evaluated the efficacy of B-flow in examining the cervical carotid artery.


METHODS
Sixty patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease were examined. Conventional B-mode imaging and blood flow images by power Doppler imaging (PDI) and B-flow were obtained.


RESULTS
B-flow enabled simultaneous imaging of tissue and blood flow. Compared with PDI, B-flow provided higher spatial resolution and higher frame rate hemodynamic imaging. Consequently, a clear definition of the vessel lumen was obtained even in the stenotic portion of the carotid artery. In evaluating the degree of carotid stenosis, B-flow measurement agreed with digital subtraction angiography as well as PDI measurement. In addition, bloodstream swirl at the site of wall ulceration or vascular elongation was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
B-flow was prominent in visualizing hemodynamic flow and detection of stenotic lesion in the cervical carotid artery. Combined with conventional B-mode technique, B-flow seems to be useful in evaluating carotid stenosis.
Umemura
A
A
Department of Neurosurgery, Nagoya City University Medical School, Nagoya, Japan. aume@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Yamada
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015901:Angiography, Digital Subtraction; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*