Letter to the Editor
Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound and peripheral arterial disease
Vascular 2015, Vol. 23(4) 444 ! The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1708538115578960 vas.sagepub.com
Viroj Wiwanitkit
The report on ‘‘Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound and peripheral arterial disease’’ is very interesting.1 Alavi et al.1 reported that ‘‘Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound proved to be a reliable, simple, rapid, and inexpensive bedside exclusion test of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic and nondiabetic patients.’’ Focusing on the present report, it seems that the diagnostic property of the tool is only fair, and the sensitivity is low. According to the previous report, the ultrasound has problems in ‘‘detecting occluded segments.’’2 Finally, the cost effectiveness of the technique should also be discussed. The audible handheld Doppler ultrasound might not available in remote poor setting, and it might be difficult to use. General physician might not be able to interpret the ultrasound result.3
References 1. Alavi A, Sibbald RG, Nabavizadeh R, et al. Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound determines reliable and inexpensive exclusion of significant peripheral arterial disease. Vascular 2015. pii: 1708538114568703. [Epub ahead of print]. 2. Mustapha JA, Saab F, Diaz-Sandoval L, et al. Comparison between angiographic and arterial duplex ultrasound assessment of tibial arteries in patients with peripheral arterial disease: on behalf of the Joint Endovascular and Non-Invasive Assessment of LImb Perfusion (JENALI) Group. J Invasive Cardiol 2013; 25: 606–611. 3. Khoo SW and Han DC. The use of ultrasound in vascular procedures. Surg Clin North Am 2011; 91: 173–184.
Surin Rajabhat University, Thailand Corresponding author: Viroj Wiwanitkit, Surin Rajabhat University, Thailand. Email: [email protected]
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Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound and peripheral arterial disease
Vascular 2015, Vol. 23(4) 444 ! The Author(s) 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1708538115578960 vas.sagepub.com
Viroj Wiwanitkit
The report on ‘‘Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound and peripheral arterial disease’’ is very interesting.1 Alavi et al.1 reported that ‘‘Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound proved to be a reliable, simple, rapid, and inexpensive bedside exclusion test of peripheral arterial disease in diabetic and nondiabetic patients.’’ Focusing on the present report, it seems that the diagnostic property of the tool is only fair, and the sensitivity is low. According to the previous report, the ultrasound has problems in ‘‘detecting occluded segments.’’2 Finally, the cost effectiveness of the technique should also be discussed. The audible handheld Doppler ultrasound might not available in remote poor setting, and it might be difficult to use. General physician might not be able to interpret the ultrasound result.3
References 1. Alavi A, Sibbald RG, Nabavizadeh R, et al. Audible handheld Doppler ultrasound determines reliable and inexpensive exclusion of significant peripheral arterial disease. Vascular 2015. pii: 1708538114568703. [Epub ahead of print]. 2. Mustapha JA, Saab F, Diaz-Sandoval L, et al. Comparison between angiographic and arterial duplex ultrasound assessment of tibial arteries in patients with peripheral arterial disease: on behalf of the Joint Endovascular and Non-Invasive Assessment of LImb Perfusion (JENALI) Group. J Invasive Cardiol 2013; 25: 606–611. 3. Khoo SW and Han DC. The use of ultrasound in vascular procedures. Surg Clin North Am 2011; 91: 173–184.
Surin Rajabhat University, Thailand Corresponding author: Viroj Wiwanitkit, Surin Rajabhat University, Thailand. Email: [email protected]
Downloaded from vas.sagepub.com by guest on June 4, 2016
