Why am I having this test?
If you are experiencing problems with walking or exercise your doctor may consider checking the blood flow in the arteries that supply the legs. Claudication is a condition where you will experience pain or cramping within the muscles of the legs when walking. This symptom will be fairly consistent and occur repeatedly when you doing the same activity, for example you can walk for 100m on the flat before experiencing the pain. Some people will describe the pain occuring after only a few metres and some will be able to walk continuously with no symptoms on the flat but quickly have pain as soon as there is an incline. As soon as you rest the symptoms will subside and you will be able to continue on for the same distance/time before the symptoms recur. In the most severe cases you may experience pain in the leg/foot at rest or already have tissue loss (black toes/gangrene). The level of pain/discomfort is usually an indicator as to where the problem may be. If your symptoms occur in the thigh and buttocks then it is essential that we check the arteries in the abdomen.
What are we looking for?
The aorto-iliac artery 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 for narrowing or blockage in the arteries. We will also check to see if there is any aneurysmal dilation (size/diameter) of the arteries The severity of the narrowing will allow the doctor to decide of this is contributing towards your symptoms.
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. Please take all of your medication as normal. If you are diabetic or have medication that needs to be taken with food then please eat as you normally would.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.
