During the workup for kidney transplant the vascular surgeon will need to discuss your suitability. In order for the surgeon to do this we will need to perform and ultrasound scan of the blood vessels in the abdomen and also check the carotid arteries in the neck.
The pre-transplant ultrasound scan will involve checking the carotid arteries, the abdominal aorta and the iliac arteries on the left and the right. We will aso check the inferior vena cava and the iliac veins on the left and the right side.
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 have medication that needs to be taken with food then please eat as you would 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. To perform the carotid scan you will just need to make sure your neck is clear of any clothing, large jewllery etc. Usually just removing your jacket/sweater will allow the sonographer enough room to access your neck. Once you are ready the sonographer will tuck paper towel around your collar and then begin the scan. The gel will be cold and the ultrasound probe will be pressed gently on your neck. The scan usually takes 10-30 minutes. Then 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 abdominal arteries and veins will take 20-30 minutes. The total time in the room will usually be 30-40 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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