Peripheral Vascular Colour Doppler
What is Peripheral vascular Colour Doppler?
This is a noninvasive technique of imaging the blood vessels, both arteries and veins in peripheral circulation, e.g. in neck vessels (carotid), lower limbs, in upper limbs, kidneys, etc. Grey-scale images identify plaque and thrombus (blood clot) and Colour Doppler provides measurement of blood velocity through a vessel and enables the rapid localization of arterial stenosis (narrowing) and occlusions and the identification of incompetent veins.
What are its indications?
- To look for any occlusion in the blood vessels causing symptoms due to compromised blood supply to the part supplied by those blood vessels.
- Examination of neck vessels (carotids) in case of stroke patients, lower limb vessels in case of patients presenting with claudication (pain on walking) or with ulcers around the ankle and where on clinical examination the ankle pulses are weak or absent.
- Examination of renal (kidney) blood flow in certain kidney diseases.
What are pre-test instructions?
- 12 hours fasting is required before renal (kidney) Doppler.
- For other vascular Doppler studies, there are no specific instructions.
- To bring along all the prior investigations.
How is the test performed?
Ultrasound images are obtained by holding a linear probe on the skin surface of the part to be examined and the probe is then moved along the course of the blood vessel on the skin. A gel is applied to the probe before starting the examination.