Temporal tap maneuver
Temporal tap maneuver consists in tapping over the ipsilateral superficial temporal artery while assessing the carotid bifurcation on Doppler ultrasound aiming to produce a reflected flow in the external carotid artery (ECA) and thus helping to distinguish which vessel is being assessed: external vs internal carotid artery (ICA) 1.
It is only relevant when anatomical distortions and technical limitations preclude a confident labeling of the ICA or ECA. The maneuver has shown to be limited and not always reliable, as the reflected flow can sometimes also be detected in the ICA 2.