Range-gated pulsed Doppler power frequency spectrum analysis for the diagnosis of carotid arterial occlusive disease.

Abstract

Carotid arterial disease was investigated with a Duplex Scanner using Power Frequency Spectrum Analysis. Sixty-one carotid systems were evaluated noninvasively and angiographically, while 20 controls were examined and assumed to be normal. Peak frequency and 50% frequency bandwidth, a quantitative index of spectral broadening, were correlated with the percentage of stenosis. Peak frequency predicted the presence or absence of hemodynamically significant stenoses (greater than or equal to 50% diameter reduction) with 90.8% accuracy, while 50% frequency bandwidth correctly identified similar lesions with 93.2% accuracy (p = NS). Also, with the latter results, carotid systems were grouped into less than 25%, 25% to 49%, and greater than or equal to 50% stenosis categories with an 86.4% accuracy. Similar statistical evaluation was attempted for peak frequency results. It was not possible to separate hemodynamically insignificant lesions (less than 50% diameter reduction) into distinct groups because of the overlap of results among those arteries with less than 50% stenosis. Finally, all eight occluded internal carotid arteries were identified with combined Doppler/imaging analysis. However, with imaging alone, only 5 of 8 (63%) occluded arteries were correctly identified.