If you have had an abdominal aorta aneurysm repaired using and endovascular graft then it is important that you have it checked routinely. Minor problems with the endovascular graft repair can be seen using ultrasound but show no symptoms. Routine ultrasound scans of the endovascular graft allow the doctor to determine if there are any problems developing associated with the aneurysm or endovascular graft.
The endovascular graft (EVG) surveillance ultrasound will involve checking the graft attachment sites, the limbs of the graft, the renal arteries, the abdominal aorta and the iliac arteries below the EVG. The residual aneurysm sac will also be measured and carefully investigated to see if there is any expansion of the sac or any flow within it.
When you book this scan you will be asked to fast (not eat or drink) for 4 hours prior to your appointment time. Take all of your medication as normal.If you are a diabetic or require medication that needs to be taken with food then please eat as normal.Arrive 5 minutes before your appointment time to allow any paperwork to be completed. Please use the toilet in this time prior to your scan. Once you have been called into the ultrasound room you may need to remove some clothing. The sonographer will ask you to lift all your clothing off your abdomen up to the level of your ribs. You will also need to lower your trousers/underwear slightly onto your hips. Once you are ready the sonographer will instruct you to lie on your back on the couch. The gel will be cold and the ultrasound probe will be pressed firmly on your tummy area. Normally your sonographer will ask you to keep your arms to your sides and to try and relax your tummy and not “push back” at the ultrasound probe. The scan can be a bit uncomfortable although this depends on how much gas you have in your abdomen at the time of the scan. Typically a scan of the endovascular graft will take between 15-30 minutes.
The sonographer will check through the images and produce a worksheet with the relevant information which is then rechecked by the vascular surgeon. If you are seeing one of our specialists on the same day as the scan then they will be able to give the result immediately. Otherwise your report will be sent back to the referrer within a day or two. You can contact the referer to arrange a time to discuss the results. If the sonographer identifies any urgent problems then they will discuss it with our vascular specialists and your referrer immediately and let you know if you need to do anything further.
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