[US Doppler guide wire. Initial experiences in angioplasty of peripheral blood vessels]

Forty-two patients underwent endoluminal Doppler examination of blood flow velocity proximally, at the stenosis and distal to it by means of a 0.018 in. Doppler guide wire. The method was found to be an accurate tool for documentation of a wide spectrum of stenoses of different morphology. The changes induced by percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA)-hemodynamic changes as well as vascular wall lesions-could be documented precisely. Remaining stenoses after PTA were precisely verified as compared to angiography. In multiple stenoses or in stenoses with pure run-off, the hemodynamic significance of the lesion was evaluated. Intravascular Doppler flow measurement is valuable in angiographically imprecise cases. The method fits well into the angiographic routine examination.