Doppler analysis is one of the most demanding features of an ultrasound system. The complexity causes technical limitations, including low frame rates and small regions of quantification, and has a significant negative workflow impact on the user and clinic. The limitations of the conventional Doppler examinations are due to the fact that current ultrasound systems image using sequential insonification with focused beams and successive reconstruction of image lines, limiting the frame rate. Ultrafast imaging can acquire image information at frame rates of up to several thousand Hz, an increase by a factor of 100 relative to the conventional ultrasound systems. The increase in
computing power has resulted in two major new imaging innovations. The first isShearWave Elastography, which provides real-time true tissue elasticity in a color-coded map, and the second is UltraFast Doppler, which unites colour flow imaging with pulsed wave Doppler. UltraFast Doppler renders ultra-high frame rate color flow clips that are up to ten times faster than conventional colour Doppler. UltraFast Doppler saves significant time. All information necessary for analyzing flow within a given area is acquired in a few seconds versus conventional Doppler methods, which typically take several minutes or more. Also, quantification and analysis can potentially be performed offline, leaving the ultrasound system available for the next patient. In addition, several other automatic tools aid physicians in analysis such as immediate peak velocity display, displaying the peak velocities throughout the cardiac cycle, which allows selection of the best area for Doppler analysis.
