Arterial Duplex as an Adjunct to Assist Decision Making in the Management of Arterial Trauma

Historically, imaging in vascular trauma has been performed to confirm the diagnosis and plan intervention and, in majority of cases, has included arterial or computed tomography (CT) angiography. In the operating room, angiography is generally performed for control occasionally to treat the injury, and to confirm success of the intervention. These techniques do not offer a method of following the patient and are limited in many settings. Intra-operative and bedside duplex ultrasound offers a means in some settings of real-time assessment and for following the outcomes of interventions. We present 2 cases that illustrate a possible for role for duplex ultrasound in the setting of trauma.