Vascular study of abdominal aorta using doppler duplex ultrasonography in dogs

Abstract

Doppler ultrasonography is a new technique used in small animal sonography. The knowledge of the normal Doppler signs of each blood vessel is important in their identification because it is necessary for recognize pathologic changes. 
Ten dogs, five males and five females, were examined without sedation. Imaged in a transverse plane, was calculated diameter, area and perimeter, with a duplex Doppler ultrasonography provided us maxim, mean and minimum velocity, pulsatility index, resistive index and flow volume. 
The aorta has typical plug flow velocity profile and its waveform is a typical high resistance flow pattern. It has a sharp systolic peak with a large and clear spectral window. The velocity distribution is narrow. The systolic peak is followed by a retrograde flow wave, then a forward flow wave can be seen. The calculated mean diameter was 0.88 ± 0.12, area 0.62 ± 0.19 and perimeter 2.86 ± 0.43. The obtained mean maximum velocity was 92.45 ± 17.38 cm/sg., medium velocity 27.13 ± 9.05 cm/sg., and minimum 8.55 ± 6.82 cm/sg. The calculated mean IP was 3.09 ± 0.66, IR 0.91 ± 0.11 and flow volume 1.06 ± 0.55 L/min.