Pulsed multigated Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of carotid artery disease

To evaluate the accuracy of a pulsed multigated Doppler system, 128 carotid arteries were examined. The spectral broadening index was calculated from the power spectrum of a small sample volume located in the center of the stream according to the flow profile and was related to the degree of stenosis as determined by contrast angiography. Even minor wall irregularities seen on the angiogram were classified as disease. The ability of the system to discriminate between normal and diseased vessels reached a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 91%. Classification of greater than 50% or less than 50% stenosis could be performed with a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of 85%. Pulsed multigated Doppler ultrasonography allows identification of even minor degrees of stenosis of the carotid artery and provides an alternative to duplex scanning. Furthermore, the blood flow profile provided by a multigated Doppler system may add valuable information concerning blood flow characteristics not obtainable by single-gated systems.