Purpose: To ascertain whether Doppler color flow imaging can demonstrate the characteristics of blood flow within vascular lesions.
Materials and methods: Two cases with vascular malformation in the soft tissues of the maxillofacial region were examined. One was an arteriovenous, high-flow type malformation involving the tongue, the floor of the mouth, and the mandible. The other was a venous, low-flow type malformation of the whole tongue. The technique used was the same as that for the extraoral approach in conventional ultrasound imaging.
Results: Doppler color flow imaging provided valuable information on the hemodynamic characteristics of the vascular malformations when comparing with other diagnostic forms of imaging, and clearly differentiated between high- and low-flow vascular lesions.
Conclusion: Doppler color flow imaging was suggested to be another method in our armamentarium for differential diagnosis of vascular malformations.