Non-invasive arterial and venous duplex studies

Non-invasive arterial and venous duplex studies are performed to detect the presence, location and severity of arterial and venous vascular diseases. These procedures cause minimal risk or discomfort to the patient.
Duplex ultrasound uses sound waves to detect how blood flows through the blood vessels and to reveal any blockages. Duplex ultrasound combines traditional ultrasound with Doppler ultrasound. Regular ultrasound uses high frequency sound waves to create images of organs within the body. Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to evaluate blood as it flows through a blood vessel.

A duplex ultrasound can help diagnose the following conditions:

• Peripheral artery disease (PAD): Peripheral artery disease refers to the narrowing of the blood vessels that obstruct blood flow to the arms or legs usually due to atherosclerosis (fatty plaques in the walls of the blood vessels) or other diseases.
• Deep venous thrombosis: Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) refers to a condition in which a blood clot is formed in a vein and the clot can move through the blood stream to the lungs.
• Aortic aneurysms: This refers to abnormal bulging of the major artery that may cause fatal rupture.
• Other conditions such as chronic venous disease, renal artery disease and cerebrovascular disease can also be diagnosed.