Journal of clinical ultrasound : JCU
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The purpose of this study was to correlate the right atrial pressure with the blood flow velocity and pulsatility index (PI) values obtained with duplex Doppler sonography of the common femoral vein. ⋯ The association of a decreased minimum velocity, especially a negative value, and an increase in PI in the common femoral vein may indicate an elevated right atrial pressure. Sonographic assessment of retrograde flow velocity in the common femoral vein may be useful in monitoring the response to medical treatment to decrease atrial pressure.
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We evaluated the utility of venous duplex ultrasonography (VDUS) of the lower extremities in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and studied the distribution of venous thrombi in deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients with and without PE. ⋯ Sonography should be the first diagnostic test for patients suspected of having PE with any sign or symptom related to DVT. VDUS of the asymptomatic leg is unnecessary in the diagnosis and management of DVT. Omitting the superficial femoral vein examination would lead to some decrease in the sensitivity of VDUS.
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Investigations of the posterior cerebral arteries (PCA) by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) may be less reliable than investigations of the anterior part of the circle of Willis. Nevertheless, a true PCA may be identified by manual compression of the proximal common carotid artery (CCA) during TCD. Therefore, we used CCA compression in clinically indicated TCD studies and assessed retrospectively its risks and prospectively its benefits for PCA evaluations. ⋯ TCD without CCA compression may lead to false identification of the PCA. Since transient cerebral symptoms during CCA compression are rare, CCA compression can be used when a clinical TCD investigation of intracranial collateral blood flow compensation is indicated or when the identification of a cerebral artery is uncertain.