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The vascular system delivers blood rich in oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body. In the event that important arteries that connect the aorta to the lower extremities are blocked or modified, then human health is susceptible to serious violations of the blood supply to the legs.
One of the most popular methods for diagnosing vascular diseases is ultrasound. In particular, duplex scanning of the arteries of the lower extremities is popular.
Dopplerography of the legs
Doppler ultrasound of vessels is a method for studying blood flow in medium and large veins and arteries of the human body. The essence of the method lies in the Doppler effect. The Doppler effect implies that ultrasonic waves that bounce off moving objects are able to change in frequency, which is proportional to their speed of movement.
Dopplerography of the vessels of the legs is divided into 3 types: ultrasound dopplerography of the legs, duplex scanning of the vessels of the lower extremities, ultrasound duplex scanning with color mapping.
Ultrasound examination of the lower extremities is a familiar outdated diagnosis, which is used less and less. This is due to the emergence of devices that allow research at a higher level. Some time ago, this method was widely used to assess the patency of the veins and the condition of the valves in the vessels.
Ultrasound of the arteries of the legs is a method based on color Doppler echography. The difference between this method and the first one is that in addition to determining the main indicators of hemodynamics, any structural change in the walls of the vessels is also determined.
Ultrasound duplex scanning with color mapping can be called triplex scanning. This method, which uses pulsed Doppler, which, in turn, allows you to make a correct assessment of blood flow in any location of the vessels and give a color designation of its speed. It is worth noting that the more saturated the color, the higher the speed.
Indications and contraindications
Ultrasound examination of the arteries of the legs includes several areas: determining the patency of blood vessels, diagnosing vascular valve incompetence, assessing vein incompetence. The scanning procedure is recommended for those people who show the following symptoms:
- swelling in the ankle area;
- noticeable dilated veins;
- spots on the skin of the legs are brown or purple-pink;
- wounds and suppurations on the lower extremities;
- partial loss of sensation in the lower extremities, involuntary muscle contraction;
- itching is not dermatological in nature.
Duplex scanning is also recommended for people with a certain lifestyle and with concomitant diseases: with high cholesterol, with pain in the limbs, with pale skin on the legs, with muscle weakness in the legs, with endocrine diseases. In addition, this procedure is recommended for experienced smokers, as well as people who have noticed a loss of sensation in their legs.
Ultrasound of the arteries of the legs allows you to diagnose the following diseases in time:
- atherosclerosis;
- blood clots;
- endarteritis;
- varicose disease.
With this procedure, the doctor can correctly assess some important characteristics of the vascular system. First of all, it concerns the condition of the vascular walls. Also, the doctor can assess the patency of deep and superficial veins, valvular insufficiency, determine whether there are blood clots, as well as the cause of the reappearance of varicose veins after the therapy.
It is worth noting that a person who does not have a medical education may notice some symptoms himself, which are the first call for a duplex scan. These include freezing of the feet even in warm weather, frequent soreness of the legs, especially when walking, pain in the legs during sleep.
The doctor may prescribe a procedure in some cases. The patient can be examined if there is a risk of developing a hereditary disease – varicose veins, darkening of the skin, accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the legs.
Conducting research
The procedure is performed starting from the inferior vena cava. This stage requires maximum attention, you need to make sure that there is no blood clot and make sure that the external and internal veins are passable. After that, all veins are examined, as well as superficial vessels.
Scanning of the arteries of the lower extremities is carried out as follows:
- First of all, the patient should be examined in a horizontal position, and then in a vertical position.
- Next, you need to conduct a Valsalva test. By holding the breath while inhaling, pressure in the abdominal region increases, and in this way a successful test situation is created, which allows you to check the operation of the valves of the veins (deep and superficial).
- Next, you need to conduct a respiratory and cough test. In this case, the patient should inhale as much as possible or simulate a cough. Such actions lead to the appearance of a reverse blood flow, if the patient has a pathology of the valvular apparatus.
Ultrasound of the arteries of the legs is performed in two modes (gray and color). In addition, during the study, it is necessary to measure the patient’s blood pressure in different parts of the limb. For these purposes, special cuffs are used. The procedure lasts about 40 minutes. If it is carried out by a phlebologist, then the appointment of treatment can be done immediately after the examination.
Explanation of results
Deciphering duplex scanning of the arteries of the legs includes the following parameters:
- vein assessment (bilateral);
- response to a breath test;
- response to compression using a sensor;
- characteristics of the vascular wall;
- the presence of blood clots in the vessels;
- consistency of valves;
- the presence of reflux;
- location of insolvent communicating veins.
Inspection of the arteries of the legs includes the following parameters: the structure and thickness of the vessel, the characteristics of blood flow, blood flow velocity, resistive index and Gosling index, IMT value, percentage of narrowing of the arteries.
Similar examinations are carried out in almost every clinic. Often, in order of priority, you can undergo the procedure in public hospitals. If time does not allow you to wait, then duplex scanning can be done in special phlebological clinics and diagnostic centers.
Ultrasound diagnosis of leg vessels is a safe and comfortable procedure that is prescribed for people of any age. There is no need to prepare for it in advance, and after an hour a person can get the results and learn about how his vascular system works.