Proper Usage of the Terms “Turbulent” and “Laminar” in Color-Flow Doppler
Curt G DeGroff · 2026
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Description
Curt G DeGroff writes a 2026 letter to the editor about word choice in color-flow Doppler, the ultrasound method that paints blood flow in colors. His letter responds to a case report that called a checkered color pattern in a lung vein turbulent and linked it to vein narrowing. DeGroff argues the word misleads, since the mosaic pattern on screen does not prove true turbulence in the flow.
He explains that such patterns can arise from smooth flow with speed gradients, from flow that is disturbed but not turbulent, from swirl, or from the machine's own settings and artifacts. True velocity spread within a sampled region is also not the same as turbulence. Since Doppler cannot measure turbulence directly, he suggests disturbed flow as the safer term. The wording matters, because calling a pattern turbulent can push readers toward a narrowing diagnosis the image cannot support.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Curt G DeGroff |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 2733 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |