What is the ultrasound-doppler | Diseases and conditions: Medical tests.

Doppler ultrasound

The ultrasound is a technique based on the ultrasound that allows to study the soft organs from almost anywhere on the body. It is not, however, to study the solid as the bones organ, because ultrasound do not cross them. The same applies to gases, making it difficult sometimes to an abdominal ultrasound done correctly. Ultrasounds come out from the end of the ultrasound, collide against the organ to study and bounce to return at the end of the ultrasound where they capture.
One of the types of ultrasound is the ultrasound-doppler (or echo-doppler). This type of ultrasound scanners allow you to use the Doppler effect, which was discovered by the Austrian physicist Christian Andreas Doppler. The effect is that when an object moves away or is close to a person, the sound emitted varies in its frequency (i.e., is more or less serious or acute). It is easy to recognize this effect when approaching an ambulance, the sound will be sharper when it approaches as well as more intense.
Ultrasounds that bounce off the blood will be different depending on the direction and the speed of blood flow. When it nears the ultrasound frequency will be higher, and when child away. Thanks to these changes in the ultrasonic waves, ultrasound can be interpreted and assigned a specific color for each frequency. Commonly used colors Red, Blue and yellow.
It is a risk-free, fast test to perform, and comfortable for the patient. It becomes a forced and especially useful technique when thrombotic of veinsor arteries diseases are suspected. Also used routinely in ultrasounds during pregnancy and echocardiography. It has the same limitations as a normal Ultrasound: not can pass through bone, so it goes beyond the skull, or gas, so it does not study the lungs.

When doing an ultrasound-doppler

An ultrasound-doppler is performed when you want to study blood flow in a particular place, as it can be directly the blood vessels (veins or arteries), but also the blood within the heart or other organs. The test can detect these problems:
Partial or complete blood vessel obstruction: any artery or vein may see reduced its light; one of the most frequent causes are arterial and venous thrombi . It is frequently used in deep venous thrombosis of the legs, as the technique of choice. It also serves to study cholesterol plaques in some arteries, such as the carotid arteries of the neck.
Heart disease: you can study the impact that has on blood flow the stenosis and valvular insufficiencies of the heart. In this way it serves complement to a normal echo because it allows to know the severity of alterations.
Fetal malformation: ultrasound study allows us to view a developing fetus malformations, but with the ultrasound-doppler we can see also the cluttered arteries and its weak walls. Known relations between an altered blood flow and the possibility of developing malformations.
Pre-eclampsia: pre-eclampsia is one of the most common complications of pregnancy that causes the woman's blood pressure to rise, too, and it is very serious for the fetus. Ultrasound-doppler allows you to advance the diagnosis of this disease by studying the blood flow through the placenta.
Fetal distress: at the end of the pregnancy the baby needs more contribution of oxygen and nutrients through the placenta because it is bigger. However, the placenta is older and the blood flow is decreased. The doppler ultrasound can detect when it's an untenable situation.
Venous varicosity: the venography is a technique that is not often used today, but is still useful to check the venous permeability in all respects and plan the surgery.
Surgery planning: in some special situations it is necessary to perform an ultrasound-doppler to study flow and blood circulation in the area that will be performed.

Preparation for the ultrasound-doppler

If you will perform an ultrasound-doppler , these are the issues that you must take into account:
Duration: the ultrasound-doppler takes about 15 minutes.
Income: is usually done on an outpatient basis, although it is not uncommon to do it yourself during a hospital admission or emergency.
Is necessary to be accompanied?: is not necessary. It's a comfortable and simple test. You accompany depends more on your state of health than the test itself.
Drugs: drugs that you take tend not to influence the outcome of the test. Anyway, always you must tell your doctor all the medicines that you take.
Food: can eat and drink before the test without restrictions, although if you are in the emergency room it is best that you keep on an empty stomach, because you don't know if the test will yield a result that need immediate surgical intervention.
Clothes: you can go with the same clothes every day. For testing you will be asked you to discover you the area to study, so try to be spacious and comfortable.
Documents: it is recommended to carry the personal medical history, although the doctor will already have it with him.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: is a test that can be performed without problems in these two situations, and in fact is routinely performed constantly.
Contraindications: there are no contraindications for the test. Just remember that it is not useful in parts of the body are occupied by bone or air.

How the ultrasound-doppler

First, the doctor will perform a series of questions about your health and the symptoms by which consultations. Then perform a physical examination that expect to find signs in different equipment and systems. If the physician deems it appropriate it shall request an ultrasound-doppler , which help in diagnosing or confirm you initial clinical suspicion.
Make you test it is not necessary that you enter. Don't remain in fasting before, nor it is mandatory to go to a hospital accompanied by. If you are quoted for you test in a programmed way come with enough time to get quiet. Upon entering the room where will conduct you the test you will be asked you discover a part of the body to study. If it is a large portion you will be asked you here and will give you a batin's hospital. Once inside, you will see a monitor and a table where you tumbarás in the position that is most comfortable to study you.
The doctor that test you, usually a radiologist, will a cold gel on skin that is over the study area. Then apply the probe of the ultrasound on the gel and will push the skin. The probe is the size of a mobile phone and the doctor must press to get a sharp image of the vessels that want to study. It is normal that may result you a bit uncomfortable at first, both by gel cold pressure exercised by the specialist, but it is not painful at any time.
The doctor will perform various movements with the probe. It will rotate it, scroll, and pull on your skin; Thus, able to study blood flow in various directions. If required, it will put more gel. During the study, you will hear strange sounds, ultrasounds that are heard on the ultrasound monitor.
When you are done they will leave you paper to cleanse your skin gel and ask you that you get to dress. Usually not can tell you the results directly and you'll have to wait for consultation with your physician. If you are an emergency, or is your own doctor who makes you the test, you can see the results directly.

Complications of the ultrasound-doppler

Complications of this test has not been described.

Results of the ultrasound-doppler

Ultrasound-doppler findings are obtained at the same time of it, but its interpretation must be done with caution. So often not can tell you the results directly and you have to wait to have it delivered them you another day. In emergency situations it may make a clinical judgment in the Act and communicate it to you immediately.
Multiple parameters of blood floware studied with this test. Its speed, direction, flow, etc. All of them are given in different units of measure. However, the normal values of these measures depend on the area of the body to study. What is a normal flow in the heart may be pathological in carotid arteries or other areas. Why the results should be studied thoroughly.
It is common that with results delivered any image, even if they do not you should not worry because it doesn't serve much. In the picture you will see typical shades of gray that are seen in a normal ultrasound, but with areas of colors. These colors represent the blood flow from red to blue. Red indicates that the flow goes in direction to the ultrasound probe (the more intense faster is), and blue that moves (the more intense more quickly moves away). White or yellow usually indicate a slow or more stable flow.

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