title: High-frequency pulsed Doppler ultrasound: a new tool for microvascular surgery.
abstract: A wide variety of surgical procedures now depend on the suture repair of vessels smaller than 1.5 mm. The need persists, however, for a rapid and objective test of patency that is atraumatic. Small-vessel studies indicate that the high-frequency (20 MHz) pulsed Doppler velocimeter is particulary well suited for this task. We have evaluated the ability of such a system to quantitate stenosis produced by partial ligation in a rat model, and report its initial successful use as an intraoperative tool to determine the quality of microvascular anastomoses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, George R. Brown School of Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Freed
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Christman
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Lyman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Agris
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D000714:Anastomosis, Surgical / Q000379:methods; D000818:Animals; D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000601:surgery; D008866:Microsurgery; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018617:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods*