Vascular ultrasound provides pictures of the body’s veins and arteries.
A Doppler ultrasound study is usually part of a vascular ultrasound examination.
Vascular ultrasound is performed to:
- help monitor the blood flow to organs and tissues throughout the body
- locate and identify blockages (stenosis) and abnormalities like plaque or emboli and help plan for their effective treatment
- detect blood clots (deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in the major veins of the legs or arms
- determine whether a patient is a good candidate for a procedure such as angioplasty
- evaluate the success of procedures that graft or bypass blood vessels
- determine if there is an enlarged artery (aneurysm)
- determine the source and severity of varicose veins