Doppler Ultrasonography Health Article

Preparation

There is no special preparation needed for this test. The ultrasound technician may apply a clear gel to the skin in order to help the transducer more freely over the body.

Aftercare

No aftercare is necessary.

Normal results

A Doppler ultrasonography test showing no restricted blood flow, is a normal finding.

Abnormal results

Disrupted or obstructed blood flow through the neck arteries may indicate the person is a risk of having a stroke. (Narrowed arterial flow in the legs does not necessarily indicate a risk of stroke.)

BOOKS

McGoon, Michael D., ed. Mayo Clinic Heart Book: The Ultimate Guide to Heart Health. New York: William Morrow and Co., Inc., 1993.

Office Practice of Neurology. Ed. Martin Samuels and Steven Feske. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1996.

von Reutern, G. M., and H. J. von Budingen. Ultrasound Diagnosis of Cerebrovascular Disease. New York: Georg Thieme Verlag, 1993.

Dorothy Elinor Stonely

KEY TERMS

Doppler effect—The principle that the sound of an object moving toward you has a higher pitch than the sound when it's moving away from you.

Transducer—The part of a machine that changes signals in one form into another form.

Ultrasound—Sound that is too high for the human ear to hear.