Question

What is the difference between Pulsed Doppler and Continuous Wave (CW) Doppler?

1) Pulsed Doppler uses short bursts of ultrasound while CW Doppler uses continuous ultrasound waves.
2) Pulsed Doppler can measure blood flow at specific depths while CW Doppler can measure blood flow at multiple depths simultaneously.
3) Pulsed Doppler is used for qualitative assessment of blood flow while CW Doppler is used for quantitative assessment of blood flow.
4) Pulsed Doppler has better spatial resolution than CW Doppler.

Answer 1

Pulsed Doppler uses short bursts of ultrasound for specific depth measurement and has better spatial resolution, while CW Doppler provides continuous ultrasound to measure high blood flow velocities at multiple depths but with less precise location determination.

Step-by-step explanation:

The main difference between Pulsed Doppler and Continuous Wave (CW) Doppler in medical imaging are:

• Pulsed Doppler emits ultrasound in short bursts and measures blood flow at specific depths, allowing for accurate location of flow and better spatial resolution.
• CW Doppler emits a continuous stream of ultrasound, capable of measuring very high velocities of blood flow and at multiple depths simultaneously, but without the ability to determine the exact location of flow.
• Despite the statement, both pulsed and CW Doppler can be used for qualitative and quantitative assessments of blood flow, depending on the clinical situation involved.

Therefore, given options 1 to 4, statements 1, 2, and 4 are correct descriptions of the differences between Pulsed and CW Doppler.