Doppler ultrasound determination of capillary blood flow

The authors describe preliminary efforts to measure the human microcirculation with conventional CW Doppler ultrasound equipment. The results suggest that it may be possible to detect and measure capillary flow in this way. The broad spectrum expected from capillary returns, rather than a single-point capillary velocity, could potentially provide information of the statistics of the flow. Overall, the preliminary results obtained thus far are encouraging in terms of the potential for developing methodologies for utilizing Doppler ultrasound to assess general end organ tissue perfusion.