Dopplerómskoðun

Dopplerómskoðun, also known as Doppler ultrasonography or Doppler ultrasound, is a medical imaging technique that uses the Doppler effect to assess blood flow in the body. The Doppler effect is the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. In the context of medical ultrasound, the ultrasound probe emits sound waves that bounce off moving blood cells. If the blood is moving towards the probe, the reflected sound waves have a higher frequency. If the blood is moving away, the reflected waves have a lower frequency.

This change in frequency is detected by the ultrasound machine and translated into visual information, typically displayed as a spectrum of colors superimposed on a standard ultrasound image. The colors indicate the direction and velocity of blood flow. Red is often used for flow towards the transducer, and blue for flow away from it. The intensity of the color can represent the speed of the blood.

Dopplerómskoðun is a non-invasive procedure and is widely used to diagnose and monitor a variety of conditions related to blood circulation. It can be used to assess blood flow in arteries and veins throughout the body, including those in the neck, abdomen, and limbs. Common applications include detecting blood clots (thrombosis), narrowing or blockages in blood vessels (stenosis), evaluating aneurysms, and assessing blood supply to organs like the heart and kidneys. It is also crucial in prenatal care to monitor fetal well-being by examining blood flow in the umbilical cord and fetal vessels. The information provided by Dopplerómskoðun helps clinicians make accurate diagnoses and guide treatment decisions.