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Color flow imaging (CFI) is a variation of pulsed-wave (PW) Doppler, in which colors represent the velocity and direction of blood flow. The colors superimposed on the 2-D echocardiographic anatomy, produce a real-time representation of the spatial extent of blood flow. Imaging with CFI allows you to find blood flow quicker and easier than with conventional pulsed-wave (PW) or continuous-wave (CW) Doppler. Color Flow Imaging helps: Position PW and CW Doppler beams Detect multiple jets, simultaneously Identify areas of non-laminar blood flow Detect and partially quantify regurgitant and shunt flows Reduce the time required to examine complex blood flow patterns While CFI has many advantages over conventional Doppler, it does have some limitations. You will need a complete understanding of both to obtain accurate blood flow information This tutorial, divided into three sections, presents both the advantages and limitations of CFI: Color Flow Imaging Basics discusses using color flow images to identify blood flow. Factors Affecting Color Flow Images describes some of the technical factors influencing the color, sensitivity, and accuracy of the image you see. Blood Flow Patterns in the Heart presents examples of normal and abnormal blood flow patterns. Color Flow Imaging Basics

PW Doppler and CFI share some advantages and limitations. Both techniques: provide information on blood flow direction and velocity. can distinguish laminar from turbulent blood flow. are subject to aliasing. This section describes how to derive this basic information from a color flow image and, in addition, reviews some helpful color flow scanning techniques.

Apical four-chamber view showing normal blood flow moving through the mitral valve in diastole. An image demonstrating normal systolic left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) flow from the apical five-chamber view.