Colour flow Doppler: An emerging alternative to conventional arteriography for arterial mapping in peripheral arterial occlusive disease

Background: Arteriography has been considered the “Gold Standard” for the investigation of Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). The development of Colour flow Doppler (CFD) has extended the scope of non-invasive assessment of chronic lower limb arterial disease. Aims: To evaluate and correlate the findings of CFD with arteriography as the gold standard, in PAOD of the lower extremities. Settings and Design: This prospective study was designed in the department of general surgery IGMC, HP. Patients were subjected to CFD scan followed by arteriography, to evaluate the aorto-iliac and femoro­ popliteal vessels. Materials and Methods: Thirty patients of PAOD formed the subjects and their affected lower limbs evaluated by CFD and arteriography, for localization and grading of lesion in the arteries, into normal/insignificant stenosis, significant stenosis and occlusion. The results were analyzed in a blind fashion in a total of 45 limbs comprising of 300 vascular segments. Statistical Analysis: Results were analyzed by two way contingency tables and kappa statistics. Results: CFD was able to identify 50 of the 59 (85%) lesions identified on arteriography. There was good statistical agreement and sensitivity of CFD ranged from, 80% to 100% and specificity from 93.9% to 100% in different arterial segments. Conclusions: CFD has grown from an ancillary diagnostic aid, to a critical component in the non­ invasive diagnostic workup for patients with PAOD of the lower extremity, with the potential of displacing arteriography as the primary diagnostic imaging modality.