[The selective examination of the neck arteries by directional Doppler sonography (author's transl)]

The Doppler examination of the neck arteries of 300 subjects showed, that the common, internal and external carotid arteries and the vertebral artery can reliably be distinguished on the basis of their different pulse-curve characteristics. In addition, the compression of branches of the external carotid artery can identify these vessels in particular in pathologic cases. The details of the normal flow profiles and their changes by the compression tests are described. Compression of the vessels leads to a rise in flow resistance. The effect of such a rise in resistance is demonstrated using the A. radialis as a model. The identification of the neck arteries provides the basis for diagnostic examination and localization of their stenoses and occlusions.