Vascular Ultrasound: Who Needs It, and How It Works

Whether you arrive at Advanced Vascular Surgery to get to the bottom of unexplained leg pain, cramping, or swelling, to check your deep veins for a suspected clot, or to determine the best treatment option for a throbbing varicose vein, a vascular ultrasound is typically the first step toward getting the answers you need. 

From six offices in Kalamazoo, Allegan, Battle Creek, Coldwater, Sturgis, and Three Rivers, Michigan, our board-certified specialists use this fast, noninvasive diagnostic imaging tool to visualize blood flow in your extremities — and evaluate your circulation — in real time.

In this month’s blog, we take a closer look at how a vascular ultrasound works, when you might need one, and what it can reveal about your circulatory health. 

Using sound waves to visualize your blood flow

Our team can glean a wealth of information about your vascular health with a physical exam, detailed health history, and risk factor assessment. However, vascular ultrasound imaging provides the clearest insight into how well your veins and capillaries are working. 

How it works

A vascular ultrasound uses noninvasive, high-frequency sound waves to visualize and evaluate blood flow in your peripheral vessels — or the arteries, veins, and capillaries that carry blood to and from your legs, arms, and head. 

The test is simple: We press the handheld transducer against your skin over the vascular area we want to see, and it emits sound waves that pass painlessly through your tissues. 

Once they reach the targeted vessel, the sound waves bounce off its structure, and the red blood cells flow through it. As these sound “echoes” bounce back to the ultrasound computer, they’re translated into detailed moving images on the screen. 

What it shows

A vascular ultrasound measures the frequency of your blood flow, showing how it moves through your vessels and allowing us to visualize circulation in your extremities in real time. We can use this simple test to detect and evaluate: 

• Areas of vascular narrowing or blockage
• The presence of clotting (including DVTs)
• Areas of arterial enlargement (aneurysm)
• Poorly functioning valves in your leg veins 
• Bothersome, sub-surface varicose veins

We can also use it to investigate and diagnose a suspected case of vascular disease, including common conditions like atherosclerosis (plaque buildup), peripheral artery disease (PAD), and chronic venous insufficiency (CVI).  

Our go-to screening tool for vascular symptoms

Vascular ultrasound screening is advisable in a variety of circumstances. We frequently use this invaluable tool to gain insight into concerning circulatory symptoms, including:

• Leg cramping during activity (claudication)
• Achy, burning, or heavy leg sensations 
• Ongoing lower extremity swelling (edema)
• Lower extremity skin changes or ulcers
• Resting foot pain that improves with activity
• Soreness, redness, or warmth in your leg

When we perform vascular ultrasound testing to evaluate severe or bothersome varicose veins, or varicose veins that twist inward and are partially hidden below the skin surface, it gives us the information we need to tailor our treatment plan more appropriately. 

A diagnostic evaluation tool for vascular disease

Even in the absence of worrisome circulatory symptoms, vascular ultrasound screenings are still recommended for adults with a higher-than-average risk of vascular disease. 

We may advise you to have routine vascular ultrasounds if you’re older than 60, overweight, or smoke; screenings are also a good idea if you have a family history of heart disease or vascular disease, or if you have a personal history of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or kidney disease. 

The more of these risk factors you have, the greater your chances of developing vascular disease, and the more important it is to have preventive ultrasound screenings. What we see inside your vessels can help inform an early intervention care plan to support improved circulation and keep you healthy. 

Safe, easy, painless, and completely noninvasive

Vascular ultrasound testing doesn’t use radiation, injectable dye, or surgically inserted scopes — it simply uses safe, painless, and completely noninvasive sound waves to obtain real-time, detailed imaging of your vessels and blood flow.   

Aside from wearing loose, comfortable clothing to your appointment, a vascular ultrasound requires no preparation. When you lie on the exam table, we apply lubricating gel to your skin across the area we plan to evaluate; then, we place the transducer against your skin and gather imaging information for a few minutes. It’s that simple.    

And because we perform vascular ultrasounds right here in our office, you can expect to have your results promptly, usually within the same visit.

To learn more, call your nearest Advanced Vascular Surgery office in Kalamazoo, Allegan, Battle Creek, Coldwater, Sturgis, or Three Rivers, Michigan, today. You can also use our online booking feature to schedule an appointment at your convenience.