Duplex ultrasound is a non invasive option for evaluation of arteries and vascularity of organs. A duplex ultrasound can show blood flows to the many parts of the body. It can also tell the caliber and reveal any blockages of major blood vessels. A duplex ultrasound can help to diagnose the Abdominal aneurysm, Arterial occlusion, Blood clot, Carotid occlusive disease, Renal Vascular disease, Varicose veins, Venous insufficiency and Torsion of testis.
Your examination (scan) will be performed by a Radiologist or by a Sonologist. They will start by asking you some brief questions about your medical history, current symptoms and you will be asked to lie down on a the table and apply a clear water soluble gel to the part of the body to be examined. The gel helps the sound waves travel from the ultrasound machine through the skin, down to the tissues that are the target of the study. After applying the gel, the sonologist will guide the transducer – a handheld instrument – slowly across your skin while watching a continuous image on a computer screen.
You may feel some mild discomfort during examination.
Patient doesn’t need to discontinue medication.
VENOUS DOPPLER: Upper & Lower Extremity to evaluate Deep Vein Thrombosis and superficial thrombosis.
ARTERIAL DOPPLER: Upper & Lower Extremity to assess peripheral arterial disease, claudication symptoms, to check the patency of grafts, and to localize and grade the severity of stenoses. Ankle Brachial Index (ABI) to evaluate peripheral arterial disease in atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus.
RENAL ARTERY DOPPLER: To evaluate the renal artery stenosis (RAS), in hypertension.
PSEUDO ANEURYSM DOPPLER: To characterize pseudoaneurysms.
TESTICULAR DOPPLER: To assess varicoceles, testicular torsion, epididymitis and testicular inflammation.
TRANSPLANTED KIDNEY DOPPLER: To assess flow in the renal and iliac vessels, flow velocity measurements, as well as evaluation of the intrarenal vessels.
DIALYSIS FISTULA DOPPLER: To evaluate blood flow in hemodialysis fistula dysfunction.
NECK DOPPLER: To assess blockage or narrowing of carotid arteries, particularly in cases of stroke and before CABG.
PENILE DOPPLER: For assessment of erectile dysfunction.
LIVER DOPPLER: To evaluate portal hypertension, flow in native liver vessels and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) and to evaluate major hepatic vessels (hepatic artery, hepatic vein, and portal vein) in transplanted liver.
DOPPLER OBS: To evaluate the pulsations in the fetal heart and bloods vessels for signs of abnormalities.
After an ultrasound examination, you should be able to resume your normal activities immediately.
Do not smoke or chew gum prior (ultrasound abdomen only) as they can increase stomach gas.
Please bring all relevant prior examination films or studies (CT, MRI, ultrasound, x-rays, etc.) with you on the day of your exam.