[Appropriateness of requests of echo-color-Doppler tests].

Technological development of ultrasound has allowed diagnosis of diseases that one would be able to see later. These easy and harmless examinations have produced an increasing in demand not always justified, as one could think to reach simply a shining diagnosis. The authors evaluated the appropriate use of each color-doppler sonography request in agreement with published guidelines. Nine hundred eighty six requests were examined in three months: 60.2% of them were not appropriate. Carotid-vertebral arteries were the group with higher inappropriate use (67.9%) and also the urgent exams have 21.9% of inappropriate use. When clinical reason was missing in the request, the inappropriate use reached 70%. The 52.9% of examinations have not revealed any vascular pathology and among appropriate exams the 31.7% was disease free. Although angiology clinical guidelines have been recently published in Italy, the data suggest a poor clinical valuation of suspected vascular patient (70% of not appropriate examination when clinical problem was lacking); this may be the answer for both the enormous color-doppler requests, high inappropriate use and normal results. Authors think that a way to lower this high grade of color-doppler exams may be to take in appropriate consideration clinical approach, fact that also permit a correct interpretation of ultrasonographic data.