Editor’s Comment

Abstract

It is rewarding to see readers and authors engaged in constructive dialogue around articles published in the Journal for Vascular Ultrasound. Interpretation of Doppler waveforms is a topic that always seems to generate considerable interest and discussion. The 2020 Consensus Statement from the Society for Vascular Medicine and Society for Vascular Ultrasound on “Interpretation of Peripheral Arterial and Venous Doppler Waveforms” helped to standardize the nomenclature for Doppler waveforms and provided examples of normal and abnormal flow patterns. The Doppler waveform features associated with arterial steal physiology can be particularly complex and variable, as shown by the case report referred to in these letters. As a final comment, the use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) along with Doppler waveforms is rarely necessary in routine noncardiac vascular ultrasound. However, there are situations when the systolic and diastolic phases of the Doppler waveform are difficult to identify clearly, and a simultaneous ECG is helpful to show the relationship between the segments of the Doppler waveform and the systolic and diastolic components of the cardiac cycle.