Interpretation of Peripheral Arterial and Venous Doppler Waveforms: a Consensus Statement from the Society for Vascular Medicine
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VMJ0010.1177/1358863X20937665Vascular MedicineKim et al. 937665research-article2020 Consensus Document Vascular Medicine 1 –23 Interpretation of peripheral arterial and venous © The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: Doppler waveforms: A Consensus Statement sagepub.com/journals-permissions https://doi.org/10.1177/1358863X20937665DOI: 10.1177/1358863X20937665 from the Society for Vascular Medicine and journals.sagepub.com/home/vmj Society for Vascular Ultrasound Esther SH Kim1*§, Aditya M Sharma2*§§, Robert Scissons3**§§, David Dawson4**, Robert T Eberhardt5*, Marie Gerhard-Herman6*, Joseph P Hughes7**, Steve Knight8**, Ann Marie Kupinski9,10**, Guillaume Mahe11*, Marsha Neumyer12**, Patricia Poe13**, Rita Shugart14*, Paul Wennberg15*, David M Williams16** and R Eugene Zierler17* This document has been endorsed by the Society for Vascular Medicine and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound and is copublished in Vascular Medicine and the Journal for Vascular Ultrasound. The contributions are identical except for minor differences in keeping with each journal’s style. Abstract This expert consensus statement on the interpretation of peripheral arterial and venous spectral Doppler waveforms was jointly commissioned by the Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) and the Society for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU). The consensus statement proposes a standardized nomenclature for arterial and venous spectral Doppler waveforms using a framework of key major descriptors and additional modifier terms. These key major descriptors and additional modifier terms are presented alongside representative Doppler waveforms, and nomenclature tables provide context by listing previous alternate terms to be replaced by the new major descriptors and modifiers. Finally, the document reviews Doppler waveform alterations with physiologic changes and disease states, provides optimization techniques for waveform acquisition and display, and provides practical guidance for incorporating the proposed nomenclature into the final interpretation report. Keywords diagnostic imaging, Doppler waveform, duplex, spectral analysis, terminology, ultrasonography 1 Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, 14Shugart Consulting, Greensboro, NC, USA Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA 15Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 2Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, USA University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA 16Cardiovascular Surgery, Medical University of South Carolina, 3Jobst Vascular Center, Toledo, OH, USA Florence, SC, USA 4Vascular Surgery, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, TX, USA 17Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Washington School of 5Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA University, Boston, MA, USA 6Department of Medicine, Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and *Representative of the Society for Vascular Medicine Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA **Representative of the Society for Vascular Ultrasound 7NAVIX Diagnostix, Inc., Taunton, MA, USA §Chair of writing committee 8Diagnostic Ultrasound Technology, Bellevue College, Bellevue, WA, §§Co-Chairs of writing committee USA 9Albany Medical College, Albany, NY, USA Corresponding author: 10North Country Vascular Diagnostics, Altamont, NY, USA Esther SH Kim, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular 11Vascular Medicine Unit, CHU Rennes, Univ Rennes CIC1414, Rennes, Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1215 21st Ave South, France Medical Center East, 5th Floor, South Tower, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. 12Vascular Diagnostic Education Services, Harrisburg, PA, USA Email: esther.kim@vumc.org 13Envoy Vascular, Athens, GA, USA Twitter: @EstherSHKimMD 2 Vascular Medicine 00(0) Introduction The triphasic waveform was recognized audibly and displayed as three distinct components of the cardiac Noninvasive spectral Doppler waveform assessment is a cycle: (1) systole; (2) early diastolic flow reversal; and (3) principal diagnostic tool used in the diagnosis of arterial a small forward flow reflective wave in late diastole (Figure and venous disease states. With 200 million people 1,2 1A). The late diastolic component was absent in a biphasic affected by peripheral artery disease worldwide and > waveform, leaving only systolic upstroke and early dias- 600,000 hospital admissions yearly for venous thrombo- 3,4 tolic flow reversal as the audible and displayed cardiac embolic disease in the United States, establishment and components (Figure 1B). The original description of a adoption of nomenclature for spectral Doppler waveform monophasic waveform included the observation that the characterization is essential for communication of dis- waveform did not cross the zero-flow baseline and was ease presence and severity. Overlapping and conflicting 10 5,6 referred to as ‘unidirectional’. Following Doppler techno- Doppler waveform terminologies are considerable, and logical advancements, the monophasic term was used to awareness of this issue was first published more than a 7 describe waveforms that did not retain early diastolic flow decade ago. Recognizing the need for standardization, reversal or lacked the reflective wave in late diastole. In the Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) and the Society early publications, monophasic waveforms exhibited only for Vascular Ultrasound (SVU) commissioned a writing one audible or waveform display component that was likely committee to develop an expert consensus document on caused by an arterial obstruction (Figure 1C). the nomenclature for spectral Doppler waveforms. The The introduction of duplex ultrasound in the late 1970s intent of this expert consensus document is to propose a was a major shift from indirect physiologic testing and the common nomenclature for the description of arterial and first significant change in Doppler waveform analysis. venous Doppler waveforms in order to facilitate improved Duplex technology enabled the display of the full spectrum communication among all practitioners who care for vas- of frequencies within the Doppler sample volume. In the cular patients. The scope of the document is listed below, early days of duplex waveform analysis, spectral broaden- and a summary of the major consensus points is listed in ing was attributed to the spectral waveform features Table 1. The writing committee was comprised of sonog- observed in areas of disturbed or turbulent flow.11 These rapher and physician members from SVM and SVU based on their extensive experience in the performance, interpretation, research, and/or teaching contributions to the field of vascular ultrasound. This document was peer reviewed within the SVM and SVU and endorsed by the SVM Board of Trustees and SVU Board of Directors. Scope of the consensus document The purpose of this consensus statement is to: •• Clarify and standardize key definitions and descrip- tors that are inherent to the analysis of arterial and venous Doppler waveforms. •• Review Doppler waveform alterations with physio- logic changes and disease states. •• Provide Doppler transducer optimization techniques to enhance the quality and presentation of Doppler spectral waveform and color Doppler data. •• Provide guidance for applying waveform descriptors and modifiers – sonographer’s report and physi- cian’s final interpretation. History The initial descriptions of peripheral arterial Doppler wave- forms were based on: (1) the audible presence or absence of the systolic and diastolic components of the cardiac cycle; and (2) the display of these flow components relevant to the zero-flow baseline on a recorded strip chart display. These characteristics were the origin of the Doppler waveform descriptors triphasic, biphasic, and monophasic8 and the historical foundation for classifying blood flow in periph- Figure 1. Triphasic (A), biphasic (B), and monophasic eral arteries.9,10 (C) Doppler waveforms. Kim et al. 3 characteristics resulted in the addition of waveform descrip- descriptors may be normal or abnormal, depending on the tors such as ‘laminar’, ‘disturbed’, or ‘turbulent’ (Figure 2). clinical setting (e.g. a monophasic waveform is normal in a renal artery and abnormal in a brachial artery). Nature and impact of the problem Additional confusion surrounding Doppler waveforms includes the term phasicity and utilization of a zero-flow The waveform descriptors triphasic, biphasic, and mono- baseline. Waveform phasicity has been described as a phasic have been used for more than 50 years, yet standard- change in direction and/or velocity.28 While the zero-flow ized application of these terms is not widely evident in the reference point is crucial to delineating diastolic flow literature (Figure 3).12–14 The term triphasic, depicting three reversal, many publications depict arterial waveforms with- phases including diastolic flow reversal, is the most consist- out a clearly delineated zero-flow reference point.5 ently and commonly used descriptor5 to characterize normal arterial blood flow; however, triphasic has also been used to describe high-resistive waveforms with two phases15 and low-resistive waveforms with continuous forward flow throughout diastole.16 These waveforms have also been described as multiphasic.17,18 Biphasic has been used to characterize both normal19,20 and abnormal arterial flow pat- terns.15,21 Similar to its triphasic counterpart, the biphasic waveform has been depicted as high resistive with diastolic