Title :
The attenuation compensated C-mode flowmeter: a new Doppler method for blood volume flow measurement
Author :
Lui, G.Y. ; Burns, Peter N.
Author_Institution :
Sunnybrook Health Sci. Centre, Toronto Univ., Ont., Canada
Abstract :
Blood volume flow rate is a fundamental physiological parameter related to organ function. Its measurement using ultrasound, however, has not achieved widespread acceptance due to inaccuracy and difficulties of implementation. By replacing the conventional B-mode approach with a Doppler C-scan, the velocity orthogonal to a plane that transects the vessel is sampled, and can be integrated over an area larger than the lumen projection to yield the volume flow rate without the need to measure the Doppler angle or lumen area directly. However, this Doppler C-mode method suffers from partial volume error near the edge of the vessel. The authors address this problem by scaling each local mean velocity by the corresponding Doppler power before integration. Here, the authors present the basic theory and experimental investigation of this new technique of volume flow measurement. In vitro measurement of flow in a steady state flow phantom, using a mechanically scanned 5 MHz pulsed Doppler transducer, had a mean error of -10 mL/min, and an error distribution with a standard deviation of 17 mL/min for flow rates of 50-350 mL/min, and with Doppler angles of 50-70 degrees. These results are promising and suggest that the method is suitable for implementation in future on a real time 2D array system
Keywords :
Doppler measurement; biomedical equipment; biomedical ultrasonics; blood flow measurement; flowmeters; ultrasonic absorption; ultrasonic measurement; volume measurement; 5 MHz; Doppler angle; Doppler method; attenuation compensated C-mode flowmeter; blood volume flow measurement; fundamental physiological parameter; in vitro measurement; lumen projection; mechanically scanned 5 MHz pulsed Doppler transducer; medical instrumentation; partial volume error; real time 2D array system; steady state flow phantom; vessel edge; Area measurement; Attenuation; Blood; Fluid flow measurement; Goniometers; Pulse measurements; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonic variables measurement; Velocity measurement; Volume measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Ultrasonics Symposium, 1997. Proceedings., 1997 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Toronto, Ont.
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-4153-8
DOI :
10.1109/ULTSYM.1997.661813