Clinical Applications of A Transcutaneous Ultrasonic Flow Detector

The limits of human perception have been extended enormously by modern technological advances which permit acquisition of quantitative data from outer space or from the submicroscopic realms of atomic nuclei. Engineers employ exquisitely sensitive gauges to analyze the function of machines and components. Meanwhile, physicians still depend heavily on their unaided five senses to obtain clinical data in routine patient care. Recent developments in the use of nondestructive testing techniques for detecting the size, position, displacement, or flow in internal structures of the body provide a preview of things to come in clinical medicine. For example, a small device has been developed for detecting blood-flow velocity in deep and superficial vessels by merely applying a probe to the body surface. This instrument called a transcutaneous Doppler flow detector (Fig 1) is currently being evaluated for its applicability to clinical problems,^{1 -3} eg, locating and evaluating arterial occlusions,⁴ detecting