Introduction to the Special Issue on Flow Measurement and Imaging

Abstract

The investigation of flow by ultrasound (frequently referred to as Doppler ultrasound) has fascinated several generations of researchers. Thanks to the contributions of pioneers, such as P. N. T. Wells, J. M. Reid, D. W. Baker, P. Peronneau, L. Pourcelot, B. A. J. Angelsen, and others, the feasibility of blood velocity measurements based on the estimate of the phase shift in the received echo-signals has been well established since the 1970s. A first peak of interest in this topic was achieved during the 1980s, when real-time spectral Doppler and color flow imaging could be implemented in most ultrasound machines and rapidly became standard tools in clinical practice. By the end of the century, most aspects of Doppler ultrasound had been definitively clarified by the work of researchers, such as D. H. Evans, R. S. C. Cobbold, A. P. G. Hoeks, and many others.