Systematic imaging of the abdominal aorta during transthoracic echocardiography is advocated as a useful screening tool for aortic aneurysms. The addition of pulse Doppler interrogation to the two-dimensional imaging can be highly valuable and provides incremental hemodynamic information regarding a wide spectrum of diseases that involve the left heart, aorta, and vasculature. In this manuscript, we review the usefulness of pulse Doppler recording of the abdominal aorta and provide case examples of its value in various disease states.
Careful analysis of the Doppler profile, performance of maneuvers during image acquisition, and comparison of data with prior studies are basic tools that allow us to provide useful clinical information and improved diagnostic accuracy. Here, we discuss a patient in whom a thorough evaluation of the Doppler pattern at rest and during maneuvers and the identification of temporal changes in cardiac hemodynamics helped establish a diagnosis.
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