COLOUR DOPPLER TEST

    Colour Doppler

    Bahra Hospital has installed the most advanced 4D Colour Doppler machine Voluson from GE Healthcare, USA. Color Doppler ultrasound is an imaging technique which is used to provide visualization of the blood flow in the arteries and the veins. With the advent of Medical Technology, CT and MRI angiography has emerged as the preferred diagnostic modality for study of blood vessels. In angiography iodine based contrast agent is used which is harmful for kidneys. In comparison a colour doppler study is perfectly safe even for pregnant women as there is no radiation involved and safe for patients of kidney disease as there is no iodine involved.

    Colour Doppler is of great use in pregnancy for seeing the position of the umbilical cord, for studying the valves and coronary arteries through 2-D Echocardiography, Renal artery by doing Renal Colour Doppler, Arteries and Veins of the hands and legs to see any blockages in them. Carotid artery for seeing the blockages in the blood going to the brain. The colour doppler study is not only harmless to the body but also a cost effective way of diagnosing the diseases of the blood vessels.

    Not all ultrasound machines have the facility of doing colour doppler studies. Not only the machine should be equipped with this feature but the radiologist must also be trained in doing colour doppler studies. Doing a colour doppler is more difficult than doing routine ultrasound tests.

    Uses Of Colour Doppler

    Colour Doppler Test is done in the following conditions:

     Find out the blood clots and blocked blood vessels in almost any part of the body

     Leg pain that may be caused by a condition caused by atherosclerosis of the lower extremities

     Evaluation of a stroke can be done through a technique called transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound

     Diabetic patients, obese patients have a tendency of narrowing of the blood vessels which supply blood to the crucial organs of the body like heart, kidneys, brain, limbs. Such patients are good candidates for colour doppler exams of different blood vessels periodically.

     Patients suffering from erectile dysfunction

     Pregnant women need to get Pregnancy Colour Doppler around the 8th month of the pregnancy

    The cost of colour doppler study at our hospital ranges between Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 12,000 for different types of studies.

    The Cost of Colour Doppler scan varies with the kind of doppler. Cost would range between INR 2500 to 7000 depending upon the study.

    Types Of Colour Doppler

    Carotid Color Doppler – test is used to detect narrowing of the arteries in the neck (the carotid arteries) that supply blood to the brain. The test is known is CIMT – Carotid Intima Mean Thickness. This test is extremely useful in early detection and prevention of future stroke.

    Peripheral Arterial & Venous Color Doppler – This colour doppler is mostly done detecting the flow of blood in the arteries and veins of Legs or Hands.

    Abdominal and Renal Colour Doppler – This study is done to detect any aneurysm or blockage in the blood vessels coming from the heart or going into the kidneys.

    Transcranial Doppler for children – A transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound evaluates both the direction and velocity of the blood flow in the major cerebral arteries of the brain.

    Penile Colour Doppler – Patients who suffer from erectile dysfunction or impotency can benefit from this study where the velocity of blood flow in the penis is studied using Colour Doppler.

    Pregnancy Colour Doppler – Pregnant women need to get a colour doppler study during the 8th month of the pregnancy to detect whether the umbilical artery is supplying proper blood to the foetus and to see any cord around the neck of the foetus.