Color flow imaging: Development and clinical applications

Although single point Doppler combined with M-mode or 2D echocardiography allows evaluation of various points within the cardiovascular system, it remains limited in its ability to display spacial information. To provide enhanced spacial information, several flow imaging prototypes were developed and tested. These prototypes and later commercial units were then evaluated in clinical studies. By rapidly sampling each point or pixel in an entire 2D echo plane, the flow velocity patterns could be reconstructed. Rapid digital processing provided a real-time display of color coded flow patterns which resembled x-ray contrast cineangiography