Measurement of flow velocity in a phantom by corrected Doppler color mapping technique, using transverse cross-sectional imaging

The Doppler ultrasound measurement of blood flow velocity in arteries, by transverse cross-sectional imaging, is inaccurate. The measured velocity value relates to the true value by a factor of 1/cos φ, where φ is the spatial angle between the orientation of the ultrasound probe and that of the flow. The authors have developed a procedure for correcting the error by taking into account this factor, based on the measurement of the two orientations. The authors present here the way they have evaluated this procedure and the way they have estimated its accuracy. It includes construction of a neck/carotid artery phantom, and calibrated measurements of flow and spatial location. The method is currently limited by the accuracy of the location/orientation measurement devices