Leg pain can have an unexpected source: your veins or arteries. When circulation is the culprit, vascular ultrasound can provide useful information by looking inside your blood vessels to help guide treatment.
At Carolinas Vein & Vascular Solutions, board-certified vascular surgeon Martin Carignan, MD, uses advanced diagnostic vascular ultrasound to identify vascular problems and help plan treatment for our patients in Huntersville and Mooresville, North Carolina.
Here’s what you should know about vascular ultrasounds and why they matter for leg pain.
Vein problems can cause significant leg discomfort that worsens over time. Blood clots, chronic venous insufficiency, and varicose veins can cause symptoms such as aching, heaviness, and swelling.
Artery problems can also contribute to leg pain. Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) develops when plaque narrows arteries and reduces blood flow to your legs. A classic symptom is claudication, or pain and cramping that develops with walking and lessens with rest.
However, these symptoms have many causes, so identifying the source is essential before deciding on treatment. That’s where diagnostic ultrasound comes in.
Diagnostic vascular ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of your blood vessels. Doppler ultrasound adds another important dimension by showing how blood moves through the vessels.
That combination of technologies helps Dr. Carignan look for narrowed arteries, blockages, blood clots, and abnormal blood flow. Research shows this duplex ultrasound is about 90%-95% accurate at detecting significant narrowing in the leg arteries.
And unlike CT angiography, ultrasound doesn’t expose you to ionizing radiation or require an iodine-based contrast agent.
Finding a circulation problem is only part of the job. Vascular ultrasound can pinpoint where blood flow is restricted and how significant the problem is, giving Dr. Carignan information he can use to plan treatment.
He may also use an ankle-brachial index (ABI), which compares blood pressure in your ankles and arms to help identify PAD and estimate its severity.
Current American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines identify duplex ultrasound as an imaging option useful for assessing PAD when considering treatment to restore blood flow.
Ultrasound can also continue to play a role after treatment. For example, Dr. Carignan may use it to evaluate how well an earlier vascular treatment works and determine whether additional care is necessary.
Persistent leg pain isn’t something you must accept as you age — in many cases, it’s a treatable vascular problem. An accurate diagnosis can help determine the right next step.
Book your vascular ultrasound today: Call 704-486-8769 in Huntersville or 704-659-4499 in Mooresville to schedule your appointment, or request one online.
