Easily Identify Blood Vessel Structures

Using Color Doppler Mode, flow velocities within vessels are color-coded!

Vessel networks and flow patterns can be laid out in a complex manner. Using Color Doppler, the intensity of the color is a function of velocity. Flow towards and away from the transducer is indicated either as red or blue, respectively. To remember this, use the name of a famous yellow cartoon character as an acronym: BART – Blue Away, Red Towards (with the top of the screen as your reference point).

Benefits of the Color Doppler Mode:

• Provides a visual overview of flow within the vessel or heart
• Rapid identification of vessels, valves, turbulent flow
• Assess flow direction and velocity
• Quantify volume and percent vascularity when combined with 3D Mode
• Guidance for reproducible quantification of flow velocities using Pulsed-Wave Doppler

When should you use the Color Doppler Mode?

• Identify area of stenosis or thrombosis (e.g. TAC or aneurism models)
• Determine the presence and amount of arterial plaques and associated turbulent flow
• Find small vessels such as mouse coronary arteries, femoral and arcuate arteries
• Evaluate blood flow after a stroke or other conditions causing impaired blood flow
• Monitor blood flow to major organs such as heart, kidney, liver pancreas, carotid, abdominal aorta, and others