[Evaluation of a computer graphic representation of echo-Doppler (Echotrace) in the assessment of atherosclerosis of the legs]. / Evaluation d'une représentation graphique de l'écho-Doppler (Echotrace) dans le bilan de l'athérosclérose des membres inférieurs.

ABSTRACT

The problems generally encountered in interpreting written reports of echo-Doppler examinations led us to develop a graphic software system to visualize the vascular network Echotrace. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the reliability of Echotrace in patients with atherosclerosis of the lower limbs using arteriography as the standard for assessing sonographic findings. This prospective study was conducted in 29 consecutive patients. Nineteen strategic sites of the arterial network were investigated with duplex-scan and arteriography lesions scores were attributed for each examination and data for a given site were compared. On the 551 sites compared, we found 26 disagreements including 23 concerning lesion quantification and 3 on localizations. There were also 21 minor disagreements with a single variation in the pathology score. The statistical comparisons could not be made on these scores so the results were compared with the arteriography data on the basis of therapeutic decision taking into account all the arterial lesions and the patient's general status. We observed a perfect agreement between the two imaging techniques in 12 patients, one disagreement which would not change the treatment in 15 patients and, in 2 patients, a disagreement which would modify treatment. This study demonstrated that graphic visualization of arterial lesions with Echotrace is a reliable, easy-to-interpret method.