OBJECTIVEUltrasonic pulse wave Doppler technique for noninvasive blood flow imaging does not provide precise information of complex blood flow field, and observing two-dimensional artery blood flow field distribution provides important clinical information for cardiovascular disease.

METHODSUltrasonic particle image velocimetry (Echo PIV) was used to measure blood flows on B-mode ultrasonic particle image to assess the whole field velocity of the blood vessels in 5 groups of healthy rats. The reliability of Echo PIV was verified in comparison with ultrasonic Doppler method in 3 cardiac cycles.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONThe results of Echo PIV were similar with the those of ultrasound spectral Doppler. The Echo PIV-measured peak and average velocity within 3 cardiac cycles were about 5%-10% and 2%-8% below the values measured by the ultrasonic spectral Doppler, respectively, but these differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). As a new technique for monitoring complex blood flow in stenotic arteries, echo PIV can be used to directly and non-invasively assess whole field hemodynamic changes in blood vessels in real time and distinguish different groups of rats by velocity.