Vascular Associates of South Alabama provides patients in Fairhope, Alabama,
with convenient access to state-of-the-art vascular ultrasounds.
Do you have concerns about your vascular health—that is, relating to the health and function of your veins and arteries? Vascular ultrasound technology allows specialists to quickly, easily, and painlessly have a look inside a patient's body. Sometimes known as a duplex study, a vascular ultrasound is a noninvasive, nonsurgical test that doctors use when assessing the condition of a patient's circulatory system. This simple diagnostic tool helps doctors examine a patient without so much as a needle, and it's often one of the first steps toward improving or even potentially saving a patient's life.
Call Vascular Associates to set up an appointment with our caring professionals!
Vascular Ultrasounds at the State-of-the-Art
Endovascular Outpatient Lab in South Alabama
Patients on the Baldwin County Eastern Shore can now benefit from the diagnostics and treatments available at Vascular Associates' cutting-edge endovascular lab. Located only a short drive away, in Mobile, AL, our endovascular outpatient lab is the first of its kind in Alabama. Here, we provide patients on the Alabama Gulf Coast with access to innovative forms of vascular health care. Vascular ultrasounds are just one of the health care services our team of vascular care specialists perform at the endovascular lab.
Vascular Ultrasounds Near Fairhope, Alabama
What is Vascular Ultrasound?
Most of us associate ultrasounds with pregnancy. Ultrasounds are used in prenatal care to monitor fetal growth and development. An ultrasound technician uses harmless sound waves to produce an image of what is happening inside the womb simply by passing an instrument over the mother's body and observing the results through a monitor.
Today, this same technology is used in other branches of medicine. Just like the ultrasounds used by obstetricians, diagnostic ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create an image of structures inside the patient's body. These sound waves are completely safe. Unlike x-rays, they don't contain harmful radiation, so no safety precautions are necessary.
With a vascular ultrasound, the images captured are focused on the patient's circulatory system of veins and arteries. Vascular specialists examine these ultrasound images to assess the condition and health of the arteries and veins. The images collected during a vascular ultrasound can also be useful when planning how to manage or treat a vascular condition.
What Can You Expect During a Vascular Ultrasound?
A vascular ultrasound is a simple, painless experience. The process doesn't take long, no medication or sedation is required, and there will be no need for down-time following the ultrasound. As soon as your appointment is over, you can immediately return to your usual activities.
This is what you can expect during a vascular ultrasound:
- The ultrasound requires a darkened room.
Lowering the light in the room makes it possible for the ultrasound specialist or physician to more easily view the ultrasound images during the examination.
- You may be requested to wear a medical dressing gown.
This will depend on the part of the body being evaluated, but it's possible that the patient may need to wear a medical dressing gown in order to allow the ultrasound device adequate access to the affected area.
- You may be asked to move parts of your body during the ultrasound.
If the ultrasound is intended to monitor vessels in the legs, the doctor may need the patient to walk on a treadmill or perform other specific physical movements. Doing this gives the physician a chance to observe circulation during varying levels of physical activity. This extra information helps us reach an accurate diagnosis and create an effective treatment plan.
Here's a step-by-step explanation of what happens during a vascular ultrasound:
- We'll apply a special gel to the skin over the area we're evaluating. This will make it easier for the ultrasound to capture images. It also assists the hand-held ultrasound transducer in gliding more smoothly over the area we're observing.
- Next, our ultrasound technician will pass the transducer over the skin, applying gentle pressure to ensure we capture clear, detailed images. The ultrasound's hand-held device transmits harmless sound waves right through the patient's skin and tissue. These sound waves bounce back and are captured by the same hand-held device.
- Instantly, data gathered by the transducer will be sent to a nearby computer, where it is interpreted and used to create images. As the images appear on the ultrasound monitor, the vascular expert can view them immediately. The images will also be saved so they can be used for evaluation and reference at a later date, as needed.
- Once the ultrasound evaluation is finished and all the necessary images collected, we'll wipe away the gel, and the patient can resume normal activities.
Schedule a Vascular Ultrasound
Near the Baldwin County Eastern Shore
Vascular Associates can provide a vascular ultrasound for anyone living on or near the Baldwin County Eastern Shore or in other areas of South Alabama. You can visit us for an initial appointment at any of our five locations in the area, including one right in Fairhope!
Our caring team of professionals offers comprehensive vascular care for people living in the Alabama Gulf Coast area. Whatever your concerns about your vascular health, we are here to support you and get you the help you need.
We welcome new patients and accept most major medical insurance plans. No referral is necessary to set up an appointment with us, but if your insurer requires referral, we are happy to help you get one.
If you're ready to schedule an appointment, please give us a call or contact us online.