The vascular laboratory in practice: a national survey in the Netherlands.
OBJECTIVE
to overview Dutch vascular laboratory practice and specifically the variation in duplex criteria.


METHODS
a questionnaire was sent to all vascular laboratories in The Netherlands (n=140).


RESULTS
the response rate of the inquiry was 64% (n=89). There is no consensus on interpretation of outcome. In 22% of the clinics (n=20) a diagnostic angiography will be omitted when a percutaneous angioplasty is advised on account of duplex ultrasound. Only 5% (n=4) relies upon duplex ultrasound for operation without diagnostic angiography. In 44% (n=39) a PSV (peak systolic velocity) of 125 cm/s is used to identify a>70% or internal carotid artery stenosis. In 44% (n=39) a PSV of 210 cm/s and 10% (n=9) a PSV > or =150 cm/s is used. For grading a relevant stenosis in the femoro-politeal arteries a PSV ratio > or =2.5 is chosen in 75% (n=67). Criteria used for graft surveillance shows also a wide variation.


CONCLUSIONS
a commission for the accreditation of vascular laboratories should be established with the goal of creating standards and performing quality control.
D000792:Angiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009426:Netherlands; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology