Estimation of Blood Velocities Using Ultrasound

Ultrasound systems are especially useful in estimating blood velocities in the human body because they are non-invasive and can display an estimate in real time. This book offers a comprehensive treatment of this relatively new, important technology. The book begins with an introduction to ultrasound, flow physics, and the circulatory system. Next, the interaction of ultrasound with blood is discussed. The remaining chapters offer a lucid, thorough description of continuous and pulsed wave systems, the latest systems for doing colour flow imaging, and, finally, some of the more recent experimental techniques. The author shows that the Doppler shift, usually considered the way velocity is detected, actually plays a minor role in pulsed systems. Rather, it is the shift of position of signals between pulses that is used in velocity estimation. This clearly written, extensively illustrated book will be immediately useful to both new and experienced workers in medical ultrasound.