About the Scan - Vascular Ultrasound

SMIL offers a vascular ultrasound exam provides pictures of the body’s veins and arteries. Doppler ultrasound is a special ultrasound technique that evaluates the flow of blood through a blood vessel, including major arteries and veins in the upper and lower extremities and abdomen. Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive and painless medical test that helps our SMIL radiologists diagnose medical conditions in the heart and vascular system. Ultrasound examinations do not use ionizing radiation.

A vascular ultrasound is used to:

• Monitor the blood flow to organs and tissues throughout the body
• Locate and identify blockages and abnormalities
• Detect blood clots in the major veins of the legs or arms (deep venous thrombosis (DVT)
• Evaluate the success of procedures that graft or bypass blood vessels.
• Determine if there is an enlarged artery (aneurysm)
• Determine the source and severity of varicose veins.

Learn how to prepare for a heart and vascular ultrasound in the preparations for a vascular ultrasound section.

Find out if a heart and vascular ultrasound is right for you in the benefits and risks of a vascular ultrasound section.

For a downloadable/printable PDF about this exam with preparation instructions click here.