Vascular ultrasound provides pictures of the body’s veins and arteries. Some may use a Doppler ultrasound study as part of a vascular ultrasound examination. Doppler ultrasound is a special ultrasound technique that measures the speed of blood as it flows through a blood vessel, including the body’s major arteries and veins in the abdominal aorta, arms, legs and neck (carotids).
It is recommended that you wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. You may need to remove all clothing (you will be provided with a gown) and jewelry in the area to be examined. If your abdominal vessels are being examined, unless the examination is performed on an urgent basis, it is often best to fast before the procedure.
Most ultrasound examinations are painless, fast, and easy. After you are positioned on the examination table, the Sonographer will apply some warm water-based gel on your skin and then place the transducer firmly against your body, moving it back and forth over the area of interest until the desired images are captured.
