What is the exam?
This is a technique that uses ultrasound and therefore involves no exposure to any radiation or administration of contrast medium.
Guided by the principles of ultrasound and using Doppler technique, this exam visualises the arteries and veins, documents their permeability and describes the direction and speed of the blood flow inside the vessels.
Is any preparation required?
This is a painless, non-invasive exam and no preparation is required, except for the abdominal Doppler ultrasound scan, for which a 5-hour fasting period is recommended.
Procedures:
Upper/Lower Limbs
Arterial – This exam identifies obstructions, stenoses and maps the lesions found in arteriosclerosis.
Venous – This exam identifies valve insufficiency, varicose veins, blood clots and complications after surgery.
Carotid and Vertebral
This exam analyses the flow of blood in the vessels that form the arteries which irrigate the brain, allowing the characterisation of stenotic lesions that have been indicated for surgical or medical treatment.
Transcranial
This exam assesses the brain circulation.
Hepatic
This exam evaluates portal (portal hypertension, collateral veins and blood clots) and arterial circulation, the supra-hepatic veins and the inferior vena cava (IVC) in asymptomatic individuals, chronic hepatopathy patients or transplant recipients (it detects medical and surgical complications).
Preparation: 6-hour fasting period.
Renal
This exam describes the circulation in native kidneys (it screens for renovascular arterial hypertension and indicates whether more invasive exams are needed) and in transplantation (it detects medical and surgical complications).
Preparation: 6-hour fasting period.
