[Applications of color Doppler ultrasonics in gastroenterology]

Duplex-sonography has permitted to derive Doppler-signal curves in color. Direction of flow is indicated by blue or red, according to flow from or to the probe. This permits a rapid investigation and yields intelligible images. In liver transplantation, potency and flow through parenchymal arteries and veins can be visualized. Alterations of flow in the suprahepatic venous circulation and in the portal circulation in cirrhotic patients and the development of a collateral circulation are described. With the color-Doppler imaging technique, peripheral parenchymal vessels can be studied, which is of great use in the diagnosis of tumors and in cases of abdominal trauma.