INTRODUCTIONHere you will find a general overview of the procedure for a Doppler vascular examination. It is important to remember that everyone's situation can be different.
The purpose of a Doppler examination is to examine blood flow in the vessels, arteries, or veins. This examination is performed on people who experience pain in their legs while walking. This condition is commonly called "window shopping" (or "window claudication"). Officially, it is called intermittent claudication. This is also a method used to examine people with varicose veins.WHAT IS A VASCULAR EXAMINATION?A vascular examination examines the arteries and veins in your arms and/or legs. A vascular technician uses sound waves to listen to your blood flow. They then measure your blood pressure in both your legs and arms. Depending on your fitness level, you may also take a walking test on a treadmill. During this test, you will indicate when and where you experience pain while walking. The examination takes place in the vascular function room and lasts approximately 30 to 40 minutes.PREPARING FOR THE EXAMINATIONIt is important to start the examination well-rested. We therefore ask that you arrive ten minutes early to allow your body time to settle. During the examination, you will be given three blood pressure cuffs on each leg: one on your ankles, calves, and thighs, and one on each arm. For this reason, we recommend wearing comfortable clothing.
BEFORE THE EXAMINATION: Before the examination, you will remove your shoes, trousers, or skirt. The vascular technician will record your height and weight and then ask you to lie down on the examination table.THE SOUND WAVE RESEARCHListening to the blood vessels is not painful. This is done with a probe, the size of a ballpoint pen, and conductive gel. The sound waves emitted by the probe are reflected by the blood flowing through the arteries. The probe then picks up the waves again, and this signal is made audible and visible by the Doppler device. The sound you hear is an amplification of this signal. This noise is normal. These waves are visible on a monitor. A record of each blood vessel examined is made on a strip of paper.DURING THE RESEARCHTo listen to the blood vessels in the backs of your knees, it's best to lie on your stomach. This part of the examination takes about three minutes. After the examination in the backs of your knees, you will be asked to lie on your back. The vascular technician will then examine your groin and ankles in the same way. This takes about eight to ten minutes.MEASURING BLOOD PRESSUREThe second part of the examination consists of measuring the blood pressure of your ankles, calves, thighs, and arms. For this, you will receive three cuffs around each leg and one around each arm, for a total of eight. Each cuff is inflated and slowly deflated separately. The pressure measurement in your legs may be slightly painful. You will experience the least discomfort if you lie down comfortably. The vascular lab technician will record the results of each blood pressure measurement. She will then remove the cuffs, and you can step off the examination table.THE WALKING TESTTo determine how quickly pain develops while walking, some people need to perform a walking test.
You'll walk a maximum of 300 meters on a treadmill at a walking pace (2.5 to 3 km/h). It's important that you immediately report where and when you feel pain and whether the pain changes while walking. The vascular lab technician will then measure your blood pressure again in both ankles and arms and record the values. The walking test takes about five minutes.AFTER THE RESEARCHAfter the examination, you will get dressed again. We aim to schedule your appointment with the vascular surgeon as soon as possible. Your doctor will discuss the results of the examination with you.WAITING TIMESometimes you may have to wait due to an emergency or unforeseen circumstances. We ask for your understanding.
If you have any questions about the vascular examination, please feel free to contact the vascular technician or the doctor at the Surgery Outpatient Clinic.
If you are unexpectedly unable to attend, please inform the relevant department as soon as possible. A new appointment can then be rescheduled, and the available time can be reserved for another patient. |
