The Open Medical Imaging Journal

2008, 2 : 56-61
Published online 2008 June 24. DOI: 10.2174/1874347100802010056
Publisher ID: TOMIJ-2-56

Colour Doppler Flow Measurements Using Surface Integration of Velocity Vectors (SIVV): Effect of Colour Flow Gain, Pulse Repetition Frequency and Number of Imaging Planes

Michelle S. Chew , Joakim Brandberg , Birgitta Janerot-Sjöberg , Erik Sloth , J. Michael Hasenkam and Per Ask
Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.

ABSTRACT

Surface Integration of Velocity Vectors is a colour Doppler control volume technique for blood flow measurements. Factors such as colour flow gain (CFG), pulse repetition frequency (PRF) and the number of imaging planes may however affect the quality of measurements. Our aim was to describe how CFG and PRF affect the accuracy of Surface Integration of Velocity Vectors (SIVV) flow in in vitro models and to investigate the number of planes required for precise SIVV measurements in an in vitro model and in vivo at the left ventricular outflow tract. Our results show that the measured SIVV flow varied according to the gain setting while PRF had no significant effect. At least two planes were necessary to obtain <10% measurement error in vitro, and four planes were required for <20% measurement error in vivo. We conclude that CFG but not PRF had significant effects on the velocity estimate. At least two and preferably >4 imaging planes are required for precise SIVV flow measurements.

Keywords:

Flow, doppler, echocardiography.