The pulsed Doppler ultrasound flowmeter: experimental evaluation of velocity accuracy and range resolution

Accurate quantitation of blood flow patterns, particularly in the physiological state, is important to the successful study of several problems in biomedical research. The pulsed Doppler ultrasonic flowmeter offers promise of overcoming some of the difficulties present in other methods. This flowmeter can be either implantable or noninvasive. Although a number of papers describe important design criteria, the design or selection of a Doppler system for a given task remains a complex matter involving many compromises based on theoretical considerations and very limited data. Experimental data from well-defined flows are needed to help identify those areas in which ultrasonic flowmeters can be most useful. This paper defines and evaluates two important parameters for the pulsed Doppler ultrasonic flowmeter by comparing experimental results with those predicted theorectically. The first parameter is velocity accuracy; the second parameter is range resolution. Findings show that centerline flow velocities in circular tubes can be estimated to within a few percent of the correct value, and that a 1.5-mm range resolution can be realized with the system tested.