Peripheral Doppler

What is a peripheral Doppler ultrasound?

Peripheral Doppler is a type of ultrasound that uses sound waves to develop images of blood vessels and blood flow in your arms, legs, or both. This type of diagnostic test is simple, fast, and painless. It’s highly effective for diagnosing or monitoring vascular diseases.

Peripheral Doppler helps detect plaque buildup and the presence or progression of PAD, a disease that causes narrowed blood vessels and leg aching, pains, cramping, or nonhealing sores.

Why might I need a peripheral Doppler ultrasound?

Your vein specialist could recommend you complete a peripheral Doppler ultrasound for a variety of reasons. It might be a good match if you have symptoms of the disease or experience PAD risk factors, including diabetes, a history of smoking, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

You may be a candidate for a peripheral Doppler ultrasound if your doctor suspects you have deep vein thrombosis, venous insufficiency, atherosclerosis, or other blood vessel abnormalities. 

What should I expect during peripheral Doppler procedures?

There’s no special preparation needed prior to undergoing peripheral Doppler diagnostic tests, but it’s important to avoid smoking. Your specialist applies a special gel to your arms or legs. While you lie down on an exam table, they use a handheld device to emit sound waves into targeted areas of your body to develop images of veins and blood flow. 

The procedure is painless, and your specialist easily removes the gel from your skin afterward. Your provider may suggest you also complete an ankle/brachial index (ABI) to compare the blood pressure in your arm versus in your ankle or pulse volume recording (PVR) to measure arterial blood flow.

What happens after peripheral Doppler ultrasound?

After undergoing a peripheral Doppler ultrasound, there’s no downtime, so you can resume everyday activities right away. Your vascular specialist reviews the results with you and lets you know if you need treatment to widen blood vessels, bypass blocked vessels, reduce high cholesterol, or repair diseased veins.

To learn more about peripheral Doppler ultrasound and find out if it’s right for you, call the Commonwealth Vein Center office or schedule an appointment online today.