Abstract
Purpose: to evaluate the reliability of repeat Doppler US measurements
Material and Methods: Nine radiologists conducted two sets of Doppler US measurements on a healthy volunteer, with a time interval of 9 months. Peak systolic velocity (PSV), resistance index (RI), and pulsatility index (PI) were measured 10 times in 4 arteries
Results: There was considerable intra- and inter-observer variation both at baseline and 9 months later. the PSV values from the carotid artery varied from 0.27 m/s to 1.95 m/s in February and from 0.22 m/s to 1.38 m/s in November. the RI values from the renal artery ranged from 0.44 to 0.71 in February and from 0.41 to 0.67 in November. the results of the 9-month follow-up varied markedly too. Best reproducibility was achieved by highly experienced radiologists both at baseline and 9 months later
Conclusion: the short-term and long-term reliability of Doppler US was poor when the measurements were performed by a heterogeneous group of radiologists. the RI and PI measurements were somewhat more reliable than the PSV measurements and are recommended for use in follow-up studies