Lower Extremity Arterial Ultrasound
ABI and Segmental Limb Pressure
Lower Extremity Venous Ultrasound
The carotid arteries are located on either side of the neck and are responsible for supplying blood to the brain. A blockage or narrowing of the carotid artery is usually caused by a condition called atherosclerosis where fatty deposits called plaque build up along the walls of the arteries. Interruption of blood to a part of the brain may occur if a piece of plaque or a blood clot forming at the site of plaque buildup dislodges and travels to the brain. This is most commonly called a stroke.
A carotid ultrasound is a non invasive, painless test that uses high frequency sound waves to create an image of the inside of the body. A Doppler ultrasound further evaluates the blood as it flows through major blood vessels.
An ultrasound transmits high frequency sound through the skin into the body. Soft structures such as organs and blood vessels reflect the sound back to the small transducer or probe on the surface of your skin. A computer translates the reflected sound into an image of the organs within the abdomen.
Using abdominal ultrasound, a variety of conditions can be seen. Of primary concern to the cardiologists and vascular specialists at Cardiology Onsite is the blood supply to the vital organs in your abdomen. Ultrasound can help detect blockages, narrowing, and aneurisms of these major blood vessels.
Your doctor or cardiologist may want you to have an abdominal ultrasound to evaluate abdominal pains, look for causes of unusual laboratory values, view enlarged organs found or suspected during a physical exam, look for stones in the kidney or gallbladder, or locate and diagnose unusual sounds made by bloods passing through blood vessels.
A renal ultrasound uses high frequency sound to create an image of the kidneys, bladder, and ureters that make up the renal system. A Doppler ultrasound gives additional information about the blood supply to the kidneys.
During a renal ultrasound, your cardiologist can locate masses, cysts, stones or other obstructions that sometimes form in the kidneys. He can also determine the size and shape of the kidneys and evaluate the blood flow through the renal arteries and veins.
Suspected blockage or diminished blood flow to the lower extremities can be evaluated using a lower extremity arterial ultrasound. The high frequency sound use in ultrasound provides your cardiologist with an image of the blood supply to your legs and is often used if you are experiencing unusual sensations such as numbness, tingling, heaviness, fatigue, and cramps in your legs.
Peripheral arterial disease or PAD is normally caused by arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in the lower extremities which restricts the blood supply to legs and feet.
The ankle/brachial index is a test to help assess the presence and severity of peripheral arterial disease. It compares the blood pressure in the legs with the blood pressure in the brachial artery of the arm. The ratio between these two blood pressures provides a valuable indicator not only of the presence of PAD but of the risk of vascular disease in other parts of the body such as the heart.
Segmental limb pressure provides more specific information once the presence of PAD is determined using the ankle/brachial index test. Special pressure cuffs are places at various points on the leg and sequentially inflated. A probe measures the pressure difference in each segment of the leg. This information helps determine the severity and location of arterial stenosis (narrowing) or occlusion (blockage).
While arteries are responsible for delivering nutrient and oxygen rich blood to the tissues of the body, the veins are responsible for returning the blood back to the heart once the tissues have extracted the nutrients and oxygen and replaced them with carbon dioxide and other waste products. A leg vein blockage, also called a venous thrombus or deep vein thrombosis, is normally caused by slowed circulation in the venous system which can cause blood clots to form. Blood clots can also form as a result of injury or infection in a vein.
Blood clots in the legs cause swelling and tenderness and can be very painful. Venous thrombus is potentially serious condition because the blood clots can break free and travel to the lungs, heart, and brain.
Using high frequency sound waves, your cardiologist and vascular specialist creates an image of your veins and can often see the clot or area of reduced blood flow.
The PPG exam measures changes in blood flow in the tiny blood vessels close to the skin (capillaries) using a small light sensitive probe. Patients with circulation problems in their legs generally have poor drainage of blood. Assessing capillary filling during exercise helps identify venous reflux which indicates areas where leg veins are not draining properly.