Doppler Ultrasound For Stroke

The stroke is a very serious condition and should be taken as the medical emergency. If the prompt treatment is not taken, it can cause permanent damage of brain tissue and even causes death. For the proper treatment, the quick and accurate diagnosis is very essential. There are different methods of diagnosis of stroke such as MRI scan, CT scan, electroencephalogram, Doppler ultrasound test and carotid phonoangiography.

The Doppler Ultrasound for stroke is an imaging procedure in which ultrasound or high-frequency sound waves are used for detecting the blockages in the carotid artery. A Doppler ultrasound test features the use of reflected sound waves to evaluate the blood flow through the blood vessel. It helps to evaluate the blood flow through the veins and major arteries of neck, legs and arms. You can detect reduced or blocked blood flow due to narrowing of the main arteries of the neck that can lead to stroke. The Doppler ultra-sound also detects the blood clots present in the leg veins which can block the blood flow to the lungs. It is called as the pulmonary embolism. It is one of the reasons of stroke.

During the Doppler ultra-sound, a handheld instrument called the transducer is passed over the skin above the blood vessel. It sends and receives the sound waves which are magnified through the microphone. These sound waves detect the solid objects including the blood cells. The movements of the blood cells change the pitch of the reflected sound waves. It is called as the Doppler Effect. If there is no blood flow, the pitch will not change. The information obtained from the reflected sound waves is processed by a computer to provide the pictures or graphs. They represent the blood flow through the vessels. These graphs are saved for further evaluation.

The Doppler ultrasound test is very important in the diagnosis of stroke. A Doppler instrument or probe is placed on the neck close to the carotid artery. The probe generates the ultrasound waves that travel through the neck and detect the moving blood cells. The reflected sound waves return to the probe at various frequencies. These frequencies are detected by the probe. The change in the frequency is associated with the speed of the blood cells and the blood flow.

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