Duplex carotid sonography: Criteria for stenosis, accuracy, and pitfalls

Both carotid bifurcations were examined in 353 patients over a 20-month interval using a combination of real-time and pulsed Doppler ultrasound (duplex scanning). Angiographic correlation was available in 72 cases. Stenosis of the internal carotid was evaluated using a Doppler input frequency of 5 MHz and a scan angle of 60°. A peak frequency shift of <3.5 kHz was found to be a sign of ≤30% stenosis; 3.5-4 kHz with moderate turbulence suggested 31-50% stenosis, 4-8 kHz 51-90% stenosis, and >8 kHz > 90% stenosis. Subtotal stenosis (>95%) was manifested by a frequency shift of <8 kHz, but the waveform was totally distorted. Overally accuracy improved from 77% for the first 6 months to 87% for the last 14 months. For stenosis greater than 50%, sensitivity improved from 82% to 97% during this period. Analysis of errors and suggestions for avoiding them are presented.