Case Studies In Small Animal

Cardiovascular Medicine

Case 8

Color flow Doppler echocardiography

This color flow Doppler image was recorded in systole. Flow starts in the left ventricle (LV) beneath the aorta as laminar flow toward the transducer (homogeneous red color). Just before it reaches the upper portion of the interventricular septum, the color turns gold as it nears a velocity of 0.55 meters/second (the Nyquist limit on the color bar to the left) and then aliases to turn blue as the velocity exceeds 0.55 meters/second. As it goes through the defect, it turns a mosaic of colors and projects into the right ventricle (RV). RA, right atrium.

In a cross-sectional view, flow again starts just beneath the aorta (Ao) in the left ventricle as red laminar flow toward the transducer and then turns into a high-velocity mosaic jet that strikes the right ventricular free wall and turns to the right of the picture, into the right ventricular outflow tract. Here it loses momentum and turns into blue laminar flow away from the transducer.

Quiz

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©Mark D. Kittleson, D.V.M., Ph.D. All rights reserved.