WHAT IS A COLOUR DOPPLER?

Color Doppler, also known as Doppler Ultrasound is a noninvasive test that helps the doctor determine the blood flow within your body just with the colors.

WHY IS A COLOUR DOPPLER PERFORMED?

There are many situations where your doctor will ask you to undergo a Color Doppler test. To note down a few:

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition wherein blood clot forms in the veins of your leg or hip area.
• Superficial thrombophlebitis, an inflammation that is caused in the veins due to a blood clot just below the skin's surface.
• Arteriosclerosis, a situation where the arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet become narrow and hard.

How IS A COLOUR DOPPLER PERFORMED?

• No special preparations are required for a color doppler test. However, if you are a smoker, your doctor might ask you to stop smoking, a few hours before undergoing the test.
• During the test, the doctor will ask you to lay down on the table and then apply a water-soluble gel on the transducer, a device that transmits sound waves into your veins.
• Blood pressure cuffs will be placed on various areas of your body in order to compare the blood pressure
• The images of colour doppler test are a combination of blue and red color which reflect the relative velocities of the blood flow. Whereas, the grayscale represents stationary objects.