Use of Ultrasonography in Vascular Interventions

Abstract

Improvements in gray-scale ultrasound resolution and the proliferation of sensitive duplex Doppler and color flow capabilities on modern ultrasound machines, as well as the development of intravascular ultrasound systems, have rendered ultrasonography valuable in the performance of diagnostic and interventional vascular procedures. Advantages of ultrasonography include the general ones of portability, relatively low cost, and lack of exposure to ionizing radiation. Ultrasound also confers more specific advantages of accurate real-time visualization, localization, and characterization of palpable and nonpalpable vascular structures, of adjacent anatomy and pathology, and of angiographic devices, as well as rapid confimation and characterization of blood flow. In this article, some of the techniques and applications relevant to this powerful tool will be discussed.