Dopplers

What is the purpose of a Doppler test?

Dopplers are used by doctors to find out if there is any condition that is reducing or blocking the flow of blood in your body. It is used for diagnosing heart diseases. It is also useful for checking the functioning of the heart. It helps to look for any blockages in the blood flow in the legs thus causing deep vein thrombosis.

It also helps in determining the narrowing of the blood vessels. Narrowing of arteries in the legs means that you are suffering from a condition called peripheral arterial disease and if there is a narrowing of arteries of the neck it means that you have a condition called carotid artery disease. 

Types of Doppler Ultrasound Test 

There are different types of Doppler tests and they include:

• Color Doppler: In this type of Doppler test, a computer is used for changing sound waves into different colors. The colors help to show the direction and speed of blood flow in the body.

• Power Doppler: It is the latest type of Doppler test. It helps to get more details about the blood flow in the body than the standard Doppler test. But, the drawback of using this Doppler is that it does not show the direction of blood flow which may be an important requirement in some cases. 

• Spectral Doppler: In this type of Doppler test, the flow of blood can be seen on a graph as compared to the color pictures. This is used to see the blockage in a blood vessel.

• Duplex Doppler: In this type of Doppler test, normal ultrasound is used to take images of blood vessels and other organs. Then, the images are converted into graphs using a computer. 

• Continuous-wave Doppler: In this type of Doppler test, continuous sound waves are sent and received. It helps in better measurement of blood flow at a fast speed.