What is a Vascular Ultrasound?
A Vascular Ultrasound is non-invasive imaging of the blood vessels in your body.
How do you prepare for a Vascular Ultrasound?
There is no preparation needed, just an appointment!
Why is a Vascular Ultrasound performed?
This is a non-invasive way to look for blood clots in your veins and plaque in your arteries -cholesterol buildup in your arteries/blockage.
What can you expect during a Vascular Ultrasound?
The patient is asked to remove their clothing or jewelry from the area that is being imaged and the ultrasound technician will apply gel and an ultrasound sound probe to the area to take pictures. Imaging takes 10-45 minutes on average.
What is the follow-up like for a Vascular Ultrasound?
At our Manhattan Cardiology, our providers give you your results on the spot. Follow-up is dependent upon the results. For example, if significant plaque is found in your arteries we may prescribe medications such as Aspirin and Statin and recommend imaging of other arteries in your body.
What are the potential risks for a Vascular Ultrasound?
There are no known risks for vascular ultrasounds.
Are there related tests to a Vascular Ultrasound?
Yes. Arterial ultrasounds help us detect plaque in your arteries. Once the plaque is found we often do “functional” tests that help us learn whether or not the plaque is obstructive. Examples of this type of testing are stress tests which are used to rule out obstructive coronary artery disease or ankle-brachial indexes to rule out peripheral arterial disease.
