D. Eugene Strandness, Jr., M.D. pioneered noninvasive testing for arterial and venous disease. As the inventor of Doppler Spectral Waveform analysis and of the principal inventor of the Ultrasound Duplex Scanner, he provided the scientific basis of the University of Washington Ultrasound Reading Center.
The D. Eugene Strandness, Jr. Vascular Laboratory combines the clinical Vascular Diagnostic Service with the Noninvasive Vascular Research Laboratory and the Ultrasound Reading Center. The Vascular Diagnostic Service provides clinical examinations for the University of Washington Medical Center. The Vascular Research Laboratory develops new noninvasive diagnostic methods and uses these methods for basic science and epidemiological studies. The Ultrasound Reading Center provides precision measurement for epidemiological studies and conducts research and analysis on the data acquired.
The Ultrasound Reading Center was conceived by Dr. Strandness in 1995 to promulgate the use of precision noninvasive vascular measurements in epidemiology trials. Early in his career, Dr. Strandness became concerned about the use of contrast angiography for the diagnosis of arterial and venous obstruction. Although their use might be justified for the clinical care of patients, they could not be used in studies of the natural history of vascular diseases. Grounded in a 40 year tradition of indirect and direct noninvasive testing methods, the Ultrasound Reading Center develops precision measurement protocols, validates clinical research studies, tabulates the results, analyzes data and authors publications on the methods.
In addition, the UWURC, in cooperation with the UW Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound and the Department of Bioengineering, develops new methods for the noninvasive diagnosis of circulatory and flow related diseases.