Automated volumetric flow quantification using angle-corrected color Doppler image.

We have developed a fully automated method for measuring volumetric blood flow with angle-corrected blood velocity from a color Doppler image. By computing the blood flow vector through a conduit, the angle of incidence between the direction of ultrasound beam and the direction of blood flow can be measured to correct the underestimated blood velocity. This correction immediately contributes to the improvement of measurement accuracy. The developed method also enhances the conduit identification procedure that is one of the most important factors affecting the accuracy of volumetric measurement. To evaluate the validity of the developed algorithm, experimental studies had been applied to 21 healthy subjects and 10 patients. Volumetric flows were measured from a color Doppler image of the left ventricular outflow track, which were compared with blood volumes that were measured by traditional pulsed-wave (PW)-Doppler technique. The mean stroke volume difference between two methods was −0.45 ± 11.7 (mean ± SD). The proposed algorithm is a viable method for determining blood flow volume in an automated fashion. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 21, July 2004)