At your first appointment with Premier Vascular Center of Maryland, you will need to bring the following:

• A photo ID (i.e. Drivers License).
• All insurance cards.
• Co-pays.
• A current list of your medications.
• The names and phone numbers of any physicians you are seeing.
• Any pertinent medical records.
• Any referral that was given to you.

Signs that you may need to see a vascular surgeon include:

• Your legs hurt when you walk.
• Your legs are discolored, aching or swollen, and develop wounds or ulcers.
• You suddenly experience weakness, numbness or tingling of one side of your body. You also may have blurred vision or feel confused.
• You experience sudden, severe back and abdominal pain.
• You have numbness, tingling, and/or pain in your upper extremities after an accident or injury.

Doppler Ultrasound

A unique ultrasound technique, a Doppler bounces high-frequency sound waves off circulating red blood cells to estimate blood flow through a blood vessel. The ultrasound machine measures the echoes that bounce back from the red blood cells. Cells that are moving away from the sound waves make different echoes than cells that are moving towards the sound waves. This is called the Doppler effect, named after the scientist who discovered it. The “Doppler” part of this examination refers to the sound waves that are created during the test.

Doppler ultrasound can check for diseases or conditions that may affect the amount, speed, and direction of blood flow in different parts of your body. It can help find narrowed arteries, blood clots, and other conditions.

This noninvasive test may help identify:

• Blood clots.
• Aneurysms.
• Arterial occlusion.
• Peripheral artery disease.
• The narrowing of a blood vessel.
• Poorly functioning valves in your leg veins.

A complete Doppler examination takes approximately 45 minutes to an hour to perform. A specially-trained sonographer will carry out the procedure before a vascular physician reviews it.

Duplex Ultrasound

Duplex ultrasound is a noninvasive test that evaluates the flow of blood through your veins and arteries. Duplex ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to generate images of blood flow within the arteries and veins. The results from this test help your vascular surgeon outline a treatment plan and make a sound diagnosis.

Types of Duplex Ultrasound

The types of duplex ultrasound exams vary and can include:

• An arterial duplex ultrasound of the extremities that looks at the arteries within the legs or arms.
• A hemodialysis access duplex evaluates the blood flow within the fistula or graft.
• A carotid duplex displays how well blood flows through the carotid arteries.
• A venous duplex of the lower extremities that looks at the veins within the legs or arms.
• A renal duplex examines the kidneys and their blood vessels.
• An arterial and venous duplex of the abdomen, which looks at blood flow in the central arteries or veins.

What to Expect

An ultrasound probe (also called a transducer) is moved gently over the area being tested. You may feel some pressure at times, but should not experience any pain. This wand sends out the ultrasound waves. A computer measures how the sound waves reflect back, and changes the sound waves into pictures. You may hear a “swishing” sound, which is the sound of your blood moving through the arteries and veins.

You need to stay still during the exam. You may be asked to lie in different body positions, or to take a deep breath and hold it.

Sometimes during the lower extremity arterial duplex, the technologist may calculate an ankle-brachial index (ABI). You will need to wear blood pressure cuffs on your arms and legs for this test.