Lower / Upper Extremity Arterial Doppler study

What is a Lower/Upper Extremity Arterial Doppler Study ?

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A Doppler ultrasound is a noninvasive test that can be used to estimate the blood flow through your blood vessels by bouncing sound waves off circulating red blood cells

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What happens when the test is performed ?

 

• During a Doppler ultrasound, a technologist trained in ultrasound imaging (sonographer) presses a small hand-held device (transducer), about the size of a bar of soap, against your skin over the area of your body being scanned

• The technician will move the sensor up and down your leg from your groin to your calf or up and down your arm from your armpit to your wrist

• As the machine measures the blood flowing through a artery, it makes a swishing noise in time with the rhythm of your heartbeat

 

A Doppler ultrasound may help diagnose many conditions:

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• Blood clots

• A clogged artery due to plaque build-up

• Slow blood circulation into your legs (peripheral artery disease)

• Swollen arteries (aneurysms)

• Narrowing of an artery (stenois)

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How do I prepare for the test ?

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•  No preparation is necessary

• The test may take 30 to 45 minutes