What are vascular scans?
A vascular study or ultrasound is a non-invasive procedure to assess the blood flow in arteries and veins throughout the body. It uses sound waves to produce pictures that look at the structure and function of the vessels.
A transducer or ultrasound probe is held and moved against your skin, at certain locations and angles, with special ultrasound gel needed for good transmission of the sound waves.
The ultrasound waves move through the skin and other body tissues to the blood vessels, where the waves echo off of the blood cells. The transducer picks up the reflected waves and sends them to an amplifier, which makes the ultrasonic sound waves audible. The test is safe and painless.
Vascular studies can use one of these special types of ultrasound technology, as listed below:
· Doppler ultrasound - is used to measure and assess the flow of blood through the vessels. It can detect abnormal blood flow within a vessel, which can indicate a blockage.
· Color Doppler - is an enhanced form of Doppler ultrasound technology. With color Doppler, different colors are used to designate the direction of the blood flow.
Reasons for the procedure
They include, but are not limited:
· Evaluation of signs and symptoms that may suggest decreased blood flow in the arteries of the neck, abdomen, legs or arms
· Screening for aneurysms
· Evaluation of varicose veins
· Screening for deep vein thrombosis
· Evaluation of previous procedures that were performed to restore blood flow in an area
· Evaluation of a vascular dialysis device, such as an arterio-venous fistula in the arm
· Follow up of previous anomalies
The different scans
Click on the links below to learn more about the tests we perform
ARTERIES
Carotid arteries
Arteries of the legs
Abdominal aorta and iliac arteries
Renal arteries
Arm arteries
Digestive arteries
VEINS
Superficial veins
Deep veins
Vein ma