Varicose veins, weak valves in your veins that let blood flow backwards, usually in your legs.Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), narrow or blocked arteries in your legs or arms.Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), blood clots, usually in your legs.The test can check for conditions that reduce blood flow including: Congenital heart defects, structural problems in the heart from birth.Aneurysm, a bulge in the wall of artery.The test can help diagnose many heart conditions, including: A Doppler ultrasound is part of an echocardiogram, which is a test that shows the size and shape of your heart and how well it's pumping blood. Other names: Doppler ultrasonography, vascular ultrasoundĭoppler ultrasound tests are used to help diagnose problems that affect the flow of blood in many parts of the body, including: Then a computer turns the images into a graph, as in spectral Doppler. This test uses standard ultrasound to take images showing blood flow. A 'continuous wave' Doppler can record very fast blood flow, but it can't show the exact location in the blood vessel.A 'pulsed wave' Doppler can show where blood is flowing at different speeds, but it can't record blood flowing at high speeds.

There are two types of spectral Doppler ultrasound: It can show how much of a blood vessel is blocked.

This test shows blood flow information in a graph. But it can't show the direction of blood flow. It can show much smaller blood vessels and slower blood flow than standard color Doppler. The colors show the speed and direction of blood flow. This test uses a computer to change sound wave measurements into different colors. There are different types of Doppler ultrasound tests that can be used to gather different information. It can help find narrowed arteries, blood clots, and other conditions. This is called the Doppler effect, named after the scientist who discovered it.ĭoppler ultrasound can check for blood vessel conditions that affect the amount, speed, and direction of blood flow in different parts of your body. Cells that are moving away from the sound waves make different echoes than cells that are moving closer to the sound waves. The ultrasound device measures the echoes that bounce back from the cells. It can be used to examine blood flow in many parts of your body, including many of your organs and your neck, arms, and legs.Ī Doppler ultrasound can examine your arteries (blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart and lungs to your body) and veins (blood vessels that carry blood from your body back to your heart and lungs to get more oxygen).ĭoppler ultrasound works by bouncing sound waves off red blood cells flowing through your blood vessels.

A Doppler ultrasound is a type of ultrasound imaging test that uses sound waves to show how well your blood flows through your blood vessels.

Pregnancy heart doppler