Lower Extremity Arterial & Venous Duplex Ultrasound

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Ultrasound is a procedure that uses sound waves to "see" inside your body. An arterial duplex ultrasound uses sound waves to create a color map of the arteries in your legs to identify narrowing of your vessels that may be causing leg pain when walking

• The vascular technologist will explain your exam and answer any questions you may have.
• The technologist will also compare the blood pressures of your arms with several blood pressures taken on your legs.
• You may also be asked to walk on a treadmill at your normal walking pace and have the blood pressures in your arms and legs compared at rest and after the treadmill walk
• Your procedure will be performed with you lying on the examination table on your back with your hands at your sides or on your stomach.
• The technologist will apply warm gel to your legs.
• A transducer, a small device similar to a microphone, will be placed over various locations on your legs.
• Blood pressure readings will be taken of your ankles. You will not feel any pain; however you will feel mild pressure from the blood-pressure cuff and the transducer.
• Sound waves will bounce off the muscle and tissue in your body and off the blood moving in your arteries. This creates "echoes." The echoes are reflected back to the transducer. A television monitor shows images as the transducer converts the echoes to electronic signals.
• These images may be viewed immediately or photographed for further study.
• You will hear unusual sounds as the technologist views and records the blood flowing through the veins and arteries in your legs.
• Your exam will take approximately 60 minutes; in some cases you will be asked to do some mild exercises, which can take longer.

Duplex ultrasound is a non-invasive evaluation of blood flow through your veins . This test provides information to help your primary care practitioner make a sound diagnosis and outline a treatment plan. 

Venous duplex scan is a painless exam that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to capture images of internal views of veins that return blood to the heart. ... Venous duplex scans can show blood clots in leg veins and evaluate for abnormal veins causing varicose veins.

You will hear the sound of moving blood during the exam. Do not be alarmed; it is harmless. Your exam will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes.

• There are no post-exam instructions.
• Your study will be reviewed by a vascular ultrasound specialist and the results sent to your health care professions. Your health care professional will discuss these results with you and explain what they mean in relation to your health.