Why am I having this test?
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are often undetected and found incidentally during investigation for other health problems. Sometimes your physican may have felt your abdomen and been concerned they could feel a pulsatile mass.
What are we looking for?
The abdominal aorta aneurysm ultrasound scan will involve checking the abdominal arteries including, aorta, renal, common iliac, proximal internal iliac and external iliac arteries. We use b-mode, colour and pulsed wave doppler to check the blood flow and for aneurysmal dilation (size/diameter) of the arteries. We will also check to see if there is any narrowing or blockage in these arteries.
What will I need to do for the test?
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 yopu are diabetic or have medication that needs to be taken with food then please eat as normally. 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 aorta and iliac arteries will take between 15-30 minutes.
How will I get my results?
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.
