Ultrasound Reliability of Blood Flow Measurements in Neck Vasculature: A Comparison Between a Novice and Experienced Sonographer

Current literature on the reliability of ultrasound in measuring blood flow volume of the neck vasculature remains sparse, especially when comparing the reliability of these measurements taken by a novice sonographer to an experienced sonographer. This study sought to examine the reliability of blood flow measurements taken by a novice and experienced sonographer in the left common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA), and vertebral artery (VA) using duplex Doppler ultrasound (DDU). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) revealed poor inter-rater reliability within the CCA (-.127 to .445) and ICA (.066 to .321), and moderate reliability in the VA (.694 to .725). ICCs also revealed moderate intra-rater reliability of novice blood flow measurements in the CCA (.701) and ICA (.729), and good reliability in the VA (.818). Results demonstrated an overall lack of inter-rater reliability, suggesting a single sonographer be used for research involving repeated evaluations to increase consistency in measures.