What Doppler diagnostic criterion is critical for indicating greater than 80% stenosis?

In the context of vascular technology and Doppler ultrasound, the peak systolic velocity is the critical parameter used to assess the severity of stenosis, particularly when indicating greater than 80% stenosis. When there is substantial narrowing in an artery, the flow velocity markedly increases due to the conservation of mass principle, causing a significant increase in the peak systolic velocity.

For greater than 80% stenosis, the peak systolic velocity typically exceeds a certain threshold, which is a well-established criterion in vascular assessments. This specific Doppler measurement is crucial for differentiating the severity of stenosis accurately and guiding further interventions or treatments.

In contrast, while end-diastolic velocity and other forms of velocity measurements can provide additional information about vascular dynamics, they are not the primary criteria for diagnosing critical stenosis levels. Techniques like mean velocity or time-averaged velocity are useful in assessing overall flow characteristics but do not provide the direct evidence necessary to support a diagnosis of significant stenosis over the 80% threshold like peak systolic velocity does.