B-flow imaging in abdominal ultrasound: a pictorial essay

B-Flow technology represents a significant advancement in vascular ultrasound imaging, offering high-resolution visualization of blood flow without the limitations inherent in conventional Doppler techniques. By employing Coded Excitation and Tissue-Blood Equalization (TBE) technologies, B-Flow enhances the detection of low-velocity and microvascular blood flow while minimizing aliasing artifacts and angle dependency. This innovative technique proves especially useful in abdominal ultrasound, enabling the accurate assessment of vascularization in organs such as the liver, kidneys, pancreas, spleen, and bowel. B-Flow’s ability to depict fine vascular details is particularly beneficial in evaluating focal lesions, vascular malformations, portal hypertension, and transplant perfusion. Furthermore, the technique’s application extends to both parenchymal and vascular pathologies, demonstrating significant advantages over traditional Doppler methods in terms of spatial resolution and real-time flow visualization. This pictorial essay aims to describe the technological basis of the B-Flow technique, highlighting its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the main clinical applications in abdominal diagnostics.