Lower Arterial

LOWER EXTREMITY ARTERIAL

A lower extremity arterial ultrasound is used to diagnose Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the legs, sometimes known as peripheral vascular disease.   PAD is caused by atheroma (fatty deposits) in the walls of the arteries leading to insufficient blood flow to the muscles and other tissues. Patients with PAD may have symptoms but can also be asymptomatic. The most common symptom is intermittent claudication, which is characterized by leg pain and weakness brought on by walking, with disappearance of the symptoms following rest.

To prepare you will be asked to remove clothing that covers your legs and will be given a gown or shorts to wear.  To start the exam, we will measure the blood pressure in your arms and ankles to compute the Ankle Brachial Index which gives us information regarding the circulation in your legs.  Then we will examine each leg from the upper thigh to the top of the foot.  When blood flow is being assessed, you may hear a “whoosh, whoosh” sound when the Doppler probe is used.

The acquired images (sonograms) are interpreted by a registered diagnostic medical sonographer then sent to a board-certified radiologist for creation of a diagnostic ultrasound report detailing your results and diagnosis.