Ancillary Services

Geelong Vascular Ultrasound

Vascular ultrasound is performed to detect the presence, location, and severity of arterial and venous diseases. It is a simple, cost-effective and painless procedure performed using Doppler ultrasound. No surgery, X-rays, or needles are used. It causes minimal risk and discomfort to the patient when compared to invasive techniques. It uses sound waves to detect the flow of blood through the blood vessels and to reveal any blockages. Regular ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of organs within the body. Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to evaluate blood as it flows through a blood vessel.

The common abnormalities of the major blood vessels include narrowing or obstruction to blood flow, blood flowing in the wrong direction and finally blood vessels that stretch beyond their normal size. The intensity of injury may vary in nature and severity depending on the type of vessel involved, and whether they are connected to major muscle groups within the arm or leg, major organs within the abdomen, or the brain.

The common indications of vascular ultrasound include:

1. To provide the initial diagnosis and determine the severity and extent of the disease
   
2. To enable review or assessment of on-going problems to determine if the disease is stable or deteriorating
   
3. To assist directly and indirectly in treatment
   
4. To enable review or assessment of the treatment outcomes

When investigating vascular disease, high-resolution ultrasound imaging is invaluable, although it is inadequate if used as a stand-alone diagnostic tool. Ultrasound cannot provide a complete picture of vascular pathophysiology therefore functional studies are essential. Vascular ultrasound can help diagnose the following conditions:

• Peripheral arterial disease (PAD): PAD refers to narrowing of the blood vessels that obstruct blood flow to the arms or legs usually due to atherosclerosis (fatty plaques in walls of blood vessels) or other diseases.
  
• Deep venous thrombosis (DVT): DVT refers to the condition in which a blood clot forms in a vein with the potential for the clot to move through the blood stream to the lungs causing a serious life threatening condition called pulmonary embolism or PE..
  
• Aortic aneurysms: This refers to abnormal bulging of the Aorta, a major artery of the body that can lead to a fatal rupture if untreated.
  
• Other conditions such as cerebrovascular disease, chronic venous disease, renal artery disease, and mesenteric arterial disease can also be diagnosed by duplex ultrasound technique.
  
• It Vascular ultrasound is also used for venous mapping for coronary bypass procedures.