Doppler echocardiography
Doppler Echocardiography
Doppler echocardiography (pronounced: dop-ler eh-ko-kar-dee-og-rah-fee) is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the heart and its functioning. It is a subtype of echocardiography, which uses the Doppler effect to provide an estimate of the speed at which blood flows through the heart's chambers and valves.
Etymology
The term "Doppler" is derived from the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who first described the Doppler effect. "Echocardiography" is a compound word, with "echo" coming from the Greek word for sound, and "cardiography" from the Greek words for heart (kardia) and writing (graphein).
Procedure
Doppler echocardiography involves the use of a device called a transducer that emits high-frequency sound waves. These sound waves bounce off the structures of the heart, and the transducer picks up the reflected waves. The speed and direction of blood flow within the heart can be estimated by analyzing these reflected waves.
Types
There are several types of Doppler echocardiography, including:
- Pulsed-wave Doppler: This type allows for the measurement of blood flow in specific heart areas. However, it has a limited speed measurement.
- Continuous-wave Doppler: This type can measure high velocities of blood flow but cannot specify the exact location of flow.
- Color Doppler: This type provides a visual map of blood flow across a large area of the heart.
Related Terms
- Echocardiogram: A test that uses sound waves to produce images of the heart.
- Cardiac ultrasound: Another term for echocardiography.
- Spectral Doppler: A graphical representation of flow velocities over time.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Doppler echocardiography
- Wikipedia's article - Doppler echocardiography
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