| One thing which has been alluded to by previous posters, but not explicitly said is that body evasions work bestwhen you know the opponent is going to attack to a certain line: i.e. you set them up to attack there. For instance, to perform an Inquartata or a demi-volte, one might have noticed that one's opponent has a penchant for disengaging and attacking the high inside when you engage their blade on your high outside. So you set up the scenario where you engage their blade in six or third, then when they react in the manner that you have observed previously, instead of parrying you perform a counter attack with an inquartata or demi-volte.
As to the differences between the passata soto and the "duck"
1) initial motion in the Passata Soto is BACKWARDS as you are throwing your leg back... this adds a measure of security and allows you a little extra room/time to duck uner the opponent's blade... the "duck' I have seen performed goes straight down.
2) final movement in the passata soto is forward with the leaning of the body toward the opponent, which further ensures that the menacing point you have ducked under has now passed your target.. it also allows a little more reach to hit.
3) the passata soto uses the unarmed hand for stability/balance.
in sumation, the ducks I have seen are actually much harder to perform than the passata soto because one must have more precise timing to avoid the point because they are going straight down (as opposed to backward, down and forward). The duck is also much harder to recover from as balance is not as stable as in the three point stance of the passata soto. The duck also does not have as great a reach as the passata soto.
I have seen both ducks and passata sotos performed succesfully in competitions when they are performed as a pre-meditated counter attack as
described above.
I actually favor the cartoccio against certain variations of the fleche and running attack in epee. The intagliata is also a tastey surprise to use in epee against certain 'distance challenged' and 'sentiment du ferre challenged' individuals.
Are these actions risky? yes! However, I find the psychological advantages of performing them succesfully makes them worthwhile of occasional use. Your opponent is intimidated/shocked by what you just pulled and you are elated.
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"Si tu no sabes todas las acciones es como si un músico no supiera tocar todas las notas." - Fernando Chiriboga
"If you do not know all the actions it is like a musician who does not know all the notes." | 
Bleah. 
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