Vascular scanning is a range of tests that create pictures to assess blood vessels including arteries and veins and their blood flow.
These scans diagnose vascular conditions such as atherosclerosis, blood clots, aneurysms, and other vascular disorders. The results of vascular scans guide treatment decisions and monitor the effectiveness of treatments.
Vascular scans produce images to help assess your body’s vascular system including your arteries and veins.
They detect and evaluate the narrowing of arteries and veins and any blockages within them, bulges in weakened blood vessel walls, and blood clots. They produce images of these vessels and their blood flow. Arteries or veins in your neck, arm, leg, or abdomen are most commonly examined.
Vascular surgeons may request a vascular scan to help diagnose and treat a vascular disease or disorder.
A vascular scan is performed to:
Your doctor will refer you for a vascular scan if they notice any signs or symptoms of vascular diseases or disorders. These vary by vascular condition.
Symptoms of atherosclerosis include chest pain and pain in your arms and legs especially when exercising, and feeling short of breath, tired all the time, weak, and confused.
If you have an unruptured aneurysm, you may experience headaches, vision changes and an enlarged pupil, head numbness or tingling, pain above and behind your eye, and seizures.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) most often occurs in the leg but it can happen in the arm and stomach. If you have DVT, signs include throbbing pain typically in the calf or thigh of one leg when walking or standing up, swelling in one leg, warmness and red or darkened skin around the painful area, and swollen veins that are hard or sore to touch.
Many vascular conditions can be detected and evaluated using vascular scanning. These include:
There are a variety of vascular scans that vascular surgeons use to diagnose and assess vascular conditions. These include:
The different types of ultrasounds include:
- Traditional ultrasound - sound waves bounce off blood vessels to create images.
- Doppler ultrasound - sound waves reflect off moving body materials, such as blood. They create real-time images of blood flow through arteries and veins.
- Duplex ultrasound: - combines traditional ultrasound with Doppler ultrasound to provide visual images and information about blood flow.
Specific vascular ultrasound scans include:
- Carotid ultrasound – also known as carotid Doppler ultrasound or carotid duplex ultrasound. This scan examines the two carotid arteries in the neck to assess blood flow and detect plaques or blockages. It helps evaluate the risk of stroke.
- Venous and arterial ultrasound - also known as venous/arterial duplex or Doppler ultrasound. It assesses blood flow and detects abnormalities in veins and arteries. Venous ultrasound identifies conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), venous insufficiency, and varicose veins. Arterial ultrasound evaluates conditions including atherosclerosis and aneurysms.
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) ultrasound - scans the main abdominal artery, called the aorta. It is used to diagnose and monitor abdominal aortic aneurysms, which are abnormal bulges or enlargements in the aorta.
- Peripheral arterial ultrasound - also known as a peripheral arterial duplex or Doppler ultrasound. It provides visual images and information about blood flow and is used to detect and see blockages, narrowing (peripheral arterial disease), or other abnormalities in the peripheral arteries.
A vascular screening is a check-up for your arteries and veins to see if you have vascular disease. Not all vascular conditions have symptoms, so it’s advisable to screen and check that your blood vessels are healthy. If a problem is found it can be treated early.
During a vascular screening, a set of painless tests are carried out to check blood vessels and see if they have any signs of disease.
The following tests may be included in a vascular screening:
The costs of a vascular scan will depend on the exact type of scan you have and your Ramsay hospital of choice.
We have several finance options if you are paying for your vascular scanning yourself. These include:
Vascular scans are usually covered by most medical insurance policies unless they are for cosmetic reasons. We advise you to obtain written confirmation from your insurance company before having your vascular scan.
Vascular scans should be painless and don’t require any recovery time. Once the scan is finished you can leave straight away. Most people return to their normal daily routine after a vascular scan examination.
Ramsay Health Care offers state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging technology at our network of UK hospitals.
Our expert teams use the latest facilities and a comprehensive range of vascular scans including vascular ultrasound and angiography. They accurately evaluate and diagnose many vascular conditions including atherosclerosis, aneurysms, varicose veins, and deep vein thrombosis. If treatment is needed, it can be arranged seamlessly within your local Ramsay hospital.
We conveniently offer vascular screening to check your arteries and veins for vascular diseases as well as vascular scanning to diagnose symptoms. Appointments are available at times to suit you.
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