The technology of color Doppler ultrasonography (CDU) was more and more popularly applied to the clinical diagnosis of erectile dysfunction (ED) in recent years since its introduction into this domain by Lue et al. CDU is preferable as a diagnostic means for its advantages of being convenient, non-impairing and easily repeatable. Nowadays, CDU is becoming a hotpoint of research. However, CDU still has some defects that have limited its application. This article reviews its mechanism, usage, research development and application combined with other diagnostic means, and introduces a new type of power-Doppler imaging.
Erectile Dysfunction ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Male ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; methods

Biomarkers ; blood ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; diagnosis ; Ultrasonography, Doppler ; methods

To evaluate the possibility and accuracy of Doppler tissue image (DTI) on assessment of normal and abnormal ventricular activation and contraction sequence, 9 open chest canine hearts were analyzed by acceleration mode, M-mode, and spectrum mode DTI. Our results showed that: (1) Acceleration mode DTI could show the origin of activation and conduction sequence on line; (2) M-mode DTI revealed that the activation in mid-interventricular septum was earlier than that in mid-left ventricular posterior wall at sinus activation; (3) Spectrum DTI showed the ventricular endocardium was activated earlier than the ventricular epicardium in all segments at sinus rhythm. The earliest site of activation of the normal ventricular wall was at middle interventricular septum; the latest site was at basal-posterior wall; the contraction sequence was different at the different walls; (4) During abnormal ventricular activation, mid-left ventricular posterior wall was activated earliest in accordance with the pacing sites. Abnormal ventricular activation was slower than sinus activation, and the contraction sequence varied at different sites of ventricular wall. It is concluded that DTI can be used to localize the origin of normal or abnormal myocardial activation and to assess the contraction sequence conveniently, accurately and non-invasively.
Echocardiography, Doppler/instrumentation ; Echocardiography, Doppler/*methods ; Heart Ventricles/*ultrasonography ; Myocardial Contraction/*physiology ; Sinoatrial Node/physiology ; Tachycardia/physiopathology ; Tachycardia/ultrasonography

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in combination with mammography for breast cancer within 2 cm.

METHODSThe PubMed, the Cochrane Library, CNKI, CBM and Wanfang databases (2003/01/01-2013/04/30) were searched for studies of the diagnostic value of ultrasonography in combination with mammography for breast cancer within 2 cm. The quality of the included studies was evaluated according to QUADAS items. The pooled sensitivity (SEN), pooled specificity (SPE), pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR), and area under summary receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were calculated using Review Manager 5.2 and Meta-DiSc 1.4 software.

RESULTSNine articles were included in the final analysis. The pooled SEN of ultrasonography, mammography and their combination were 0.75, 0.66, and 0.92, the pooled SPE 0.75, 0.83, and 0.82, the pooled DOR 7.11, 8.67, and 60.82, and the AUC 0.7902, 0.8120, and 0.9469, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe combination of ultrasonography and mammography can increase the diagnostic accuracy for breast cancer within 2 cm.

Breast Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Humans ; Mammography ; instrumentation ; methods ; Molybdenum ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed ; Ultrasonography, Mammary ; methods

Transthoracic echocardiographic characteristics of 17 cases of cardiac amyloidosis (CA), a rare disease in China, were analyzed in order to improve the understanding of the disease. Seventeen cases of biopsy-proven CA, admitted to Wuhan Union Hospital from June 1994 to September 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty normal volunteers served as control group. Left atrial and ventricular functions and mitral inflow velocity were measured by two-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography, and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI)-derived peak systolic wall motion velocities (Sv), peak early diastolic wall motion velocities (Ev), and peak late diastolic wall motion (Av) were measured at the septum, lateral, inferior and anterior corners of mitral annulus from the apical 4- and 2 chamber views. Compared with the control group, the interventricular septal thickness (IVSd), the left ventricular posterior wall (LVPWd), right ventricular transverse diameter (RVTDd) near the end of diastole and the interauricular septum thickness (IASs), left atrial anteroposterior diameter (LAADs), right atrial transverse diameter (RATDs) near the end of systole were increased significantly (all P<0.05) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) decreased (P<0.05) in the CA group. Compared with the control group, Sv, Ev at each wall and Av at almost all walls were significantly decreased in the CA group. In the CA group, Myocardial echoes of interventricular septum and free wall of left ventricle were enhanced evidently and distributed unevenly. The echoes presented as ground glass-like images, with some spotty hyper echoes. Both atria were enlarged, and LVEF decreased, with diastolic function impaired, and mild-moderate hydropericardium found in the CA group. It was concluded that echocardiography was a relatively sensitive and highly specific non-invasive method for the diagnosis of CA.
Amyloidosis/*ultrasonography ; Cardiomyopathies/*ultrasonography ; Case-Control Studies ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler/*methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

This study evaluated pulsed TDI variables including the isovolumic time interval and duration of the major wave in a population of large healthy dogs. Longitudinal myocardial motion at the septal mitral annulus was evaluated with pulsed TDI in 45 healthy adult dogs. Maximal myocardial velocities, isovolumic time intervals, and duration of the myocardial waves were measured. The correlation between time intervals and velocity variables was also investigated. The mean maximal systolic velocity was 6.92 +/- 1.78 cm/sec, the mean early diastolic velocity (Em) was 6.58 +/- 1.81 cm/sec, the mean late diastolic velocity (Am) was 5.10 +/- 2.00 cm/sec, the mean isovolumic contraction time (IVCT) was 53.61 +/- 95.13 msec, and the mean isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT) was 26.74 +/- 57.24 msec. The early diastolic mitral inflow velocity (E)/Em ratio was 10.94 +/- 3.27 while the Em/Am ratio was 1.40 +/- 0.40. There was a negative correlation between Am duration and Am amplitude, and a positive correlation between the IVRT and Em/Am ratio (p < 0.05). The normal LV parameter using pulsed TDI method could be used as the reference range for identifying myocardial dysfunction in dogs.
Animals ; Dogs/*anatomy & histology ; Female ; Heart Ventricles/*ultrasonography ; Male ; Mitral Valve/*ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Pulsed/methods/*veterinary

The objectives of this study were to observe normal peristalsis and mixing (or segmental movements) and to evaluate an acupuncture stimulation (ST-36 and BL-27) on the intestinal (duodenum) motility in normal dogs using duplex Doppler sonography. Fifteen healthy Beagle dogs were used for this experiment after the administration of warm saline and pellet feeding. The duodenal motility was examined using duplex Doppler sonography. Six hours after the pellet feeding, an electroacupuncture stimulation at ST-36 and BL-27 was applied and the duodenal motility was examined using duplex Doppler sonography pre-stimulation, during the stimulation and post-stimulation. After saline and pellet administration, the duplex Doppler sonograms showed 3 types of peristalsis and a mixing type (or segmental movement) of duodenum motility. In the peristalsis types, most yielded high-amplitude signals which had one high peak (type-1), two high peaks (type-2), and three high peaks (type-3) and lasted more than 1.3 seconds. Mixing type of duodenum motility had weak signals and were lasted more than 1.5 seconds. Among the peristalsis types, the type 1 and type 2 were predominant and the type 3 was rarely observed. The frequency of intestinal motility stimulated by ST-36 acupoint was increased during the acupuncture stimulation (20% increase compared to the basal value) and decreased (7% decrease compared to the basal value) after stimulation. The frequency of intestinal motility stimulated by BL-27 acupoint was decreased during the acupuncture stimulation (31% decrease compared to the basal value) and increased (18% increase compared to the basal value) after stimulation. There was a significant increase(p<0.01) between the value found in during and the post-stimulation tests. We conclude that duplex Doppler studies permit a graphic visualization of intestinal movements which can be qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed using this technique, it is possible to evaluate the gastrointestinal motility after an acupuncture stimulation.
Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Dogs/*physiology ; Electroacupuncture/methods/*veterinary ; *Gastrointestinal Motility ; Intestine, Small/physiology/*ultrasonography ; Peristalsis ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex/methods/*veterinary

OBJECTIVESTo evaluate the diagnostic value of color Doppler ultrasonography for epididymitis.

METHODSHigh frequency color Doppler ultrasonography was performed in 42 patients with epididymitis and 21 health volunteers.

RESULTSCompared with control group, epididymis enlarged significantly all in head, body and tail in 92% of patients with epididymitis. Bilateral epididymitis occurred in 73% of patients. Color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), in patient group, showed the markedly increased flow signals bright in bundle in epididymis. Mild hydroccele of testis and orchitis were companied in most patients(93%). Orchitis was often complicated in the patients with long history.

CONCLUSIONSHigh frequency color Doppler ultrasonography can be a preferred exam method and has diagnostic value for epididymitis.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Epididymitis ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; methods

In this paper the theory of autocorrelation algorithm for color flow mapping is analyzed and a new way for ultrasound color flow velocity estimation and real-time display is proposed. The method sets up a mapping table which directly relates to the dynamic display range and has only 256 entries using an inverse mapping method instead of calculating the arctangent value directly. This method is ideal for software implementation and offers an interactive way to the user for changing the dynamic range of flow velocity and thus to increasing the display resolution.
Algorithms ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Humans ; Pulsatile Flow ; physiology ; Rheology ; instrumentation ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color ; instrumentation ; methods

Blood Flow Velocity ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Ophthalmic Artery ; physiology ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Transcranial ; methods