Does transcutaneous pulsed heterodyne ultrasound doppler accurately measure blood flow compared to an electromagnetic flowmeter in dogs?
Transcutaneous pulsed heterodyne ultrasound doppler provides measurements proportional to actual blood flow, validating its use for non-invasive vascular assessment.
We have compared the instantaneous mean blood velocity measured transcutaneously from total cross-sections of arteries in dogs by the use of a new pulsed heterodyne ultrasound doppler equipment, with instantaneous blood flow as measured simultaneously by an electromagnetic flowmeter applied on the exposed vessels. The experiments were performed on the common carotid and the femoral arteries in a variety of flow situations, always with a close fit between the two curves. The results show that the output from the ultrasound equipment is proportional to flow.
Guldvog et al. (1980) studied this question.