Arterial Duplex Scan

Ultrasound is a procedure that uses sound waves to “see” inside your body. An arterial duplex ultrasound uses sound waves to create a color map of the arteries in your legs to identify:

Narrowing of your vessels that may be causing leg pain when walking
Resting leg pain
Foot, ankle, heel or toe ulcers
Skin discoloration

Patient receiving an arterial duplex scan on her legs

San Tan Cardiovascular Center has a specialized team of physicians and technologists who are highly skilled in ultrasound technology.

Why would a doctor order this test?

This test is done as the first step to look at arteries and veins. Sometimes, arteriography and venography may be needed later.

The test is done to help diagnose:

Arteriosclerosis of the legs or arms
Blood clot(deep vein thrombosis – DVT)
Venous Insufficiency

The test may also be used to:

Look at injury to the arteries
Monitor arterial reconstruction and bypass grafts

A normal result means the blood vessels show no signs of narrowing, clots, or closure, and the arteries have normal blood flow.

Abnormal results may be due to:

Blockage in an artery by a blood clot
Blood clot in a vein (DVT)
Narrowing or widening of an artery
Spastic arterial disease (arterial contractions brought on by cold or emotion)
Venous occlusion (closing of a vein)
Venous reflux (blood flow going the wrong direction in veins)
Arterial occlusion from atherosclerosis

This test may also be done to help assess the following conditions:

Arteriosclerosis of the extremities
Deep venous thrombosis
Superficial thrombophlebitis

Considerations:

Quitting smoking lowers the risk for problems with the heart and circulatory system. Most smoking-related deaths are caused by cardiovascular problems, not lung cancer.