Echocardiogram (Cardiac Ultrasound) This exam uses sound waves to produce images of the heart as it is beating. This enables the Cardiologist to evaluate your valves, size of the heart chambers, and the strength and thickness of your heart muscle. The complete exam takes approximately 45 minutes. There are no special preparations or instructions for this exam. Doppler – This exam is usually performed with the echocardiogram. The Doppler uses sound waves, which reflect off the moving red blood cells within the heart chambers. The Doppler reveals the speed and direction of blood flow within the heart, which is helpful in evaluating valve function. Color Flow Mapping - This is usually done in conjunction with the Doppler test. It shows the speed and direction of blood flow in color. The color allows the Cardiologist to "map" abnormalities in blood flowing through the heart and great vessels. Vascular Carotid Ultrasound with Doppler – This exam uses sound waves to visualize the right and left common carotid arteries from the base of the neck to above the bifurcation of the internal and external carotid arteries. The vertebral artery (posterior in the neck) is also imaged. The physician evaluates the images to determine to what extent these arteries are blocked. Doppler is used to show how much blood is flowing to your brain and eyes. No preparation is needed. Carotid duplex is a procedure that uses ultrasound to look for plaques, blood clots, or other problems with blood flow in the carotid artery walls and their lumen (interior). The carotid arteries, located in the neck, supply blood to the brain. This procedure typically takes 30-45 minutes to complete. Lower Extremity Arterial Duplex Ultrasound – This exam uses sound waves to obtain images and evaluate the arterial blood flow from the pelvis to the foot. The images and Doppler waveforms are analyzed by a Cardiologist to determine the location and extent of blockages. This exam takes approximately 45 minutes per leg. No preparation is needed. We highly recommend both legs be scanned for comparative results. Lower Extremity Venous Imaging – This exam uses sound waves to visualize the veins from the pelvis to the foot. Doppler is used to evaluate blood flow in the veins. The physician views these images to determine the presence of a blood clot or venous abnormality. Attending physicians order this test typically to rule out deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Venous incompetence (often leading toward varicose veins) would be another typical reason to order this exam. The exam is usually ordered on an emergent basis as DVT's are considered life threatening. The exam may be ordered on one leg or both legs. The exam usually lasts approximately 15-45 minutes. There is no preparation for this exam. Upper Extremity Venous or Arterial Imaging – These exams use sound waves and Doppler to evaluate the veins or arteries in the arm. Your own physician will indicate which is needed. The Upper Extremity Venous will visualize the presence of a blood clot. The Upper Extremity Arterial is done to determine the severity of an arterial blockage. This testing takes less than one hour. No preparation is needed. Please specify which arm or both. Duplex Scan of Hemodialysis Access – The extremity venous studies that we do regularly in our office are mostly for patients with End Stage Renal Failure who have been referred for consultation in order to ascertain if they will be a candidate for an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for permanent dialysis access. To assess the patients arm veins for possible AVF our physician must do a doppler / ultrasound study of the patient’s veins, including responses to compression and other maneuvers. Our physician uses this duplex scan to map the patient’s veins in order to find viable veins for the creation of the fistula. Peripheral Noninvasive Physiologic Studies – This includes Arterial: Doppler, Segmental Pressures, Pulse Volume Recording (PVR), Digit PVR and Post Exercise PVR; as well as Venous Noninvasive Physiologic Studies. Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound Abdominal Aortic Aneurism (AAA) is a bulging weak spot in the abdominal aorta. These aneurysms are relatively common and increase in prevalence with age. A burst aortic aneurysm is imminently life-threatening. However, they can be readily identified and monitored with ultrasound before acute complications result. Medicare offers a free one-time AAA ultrasound screening (beginning January 1, 2007) for qualified seniors as part of their physical exam. Renal Artery Duplex Ultrasound A number of screening tests exist for renal artery disease. Our preference for a screening test is for kidney ultrasound (renal duplex sonography), which uses an ultrasound probe placed over the skin to get images of the renal arteries. Because the kidney ultrasound does not require an intravenous line (IV), dye, or medications, it is considered a "non-invasive" test. It usually takes less than an hour to complete and is risk-free for the patient. Not all hospitals use this test because it requires a highly skilled ultrasound technician. Certain clinical characteristics may suggest the diagnosis of renovascular disease. Fibromuscular dysplasia, which is responsible for one quarter of renovascular hypertension, generally should be considered in a younger patient with the "sudden" onset of hypertension, particularly accelerated or malignant hypertension. This condition occurs earlier than the atherosclerotic variety (average age 33 years vs. 46 years with atherosclerosis) and is more frequent in women (81% are female). The test usually takes 1-1.5 hours to complete. It is our preference to carry out this exam in the early morning after an overnight fast. If we cannot complete the exam because of bowel gas or a full stomach, we will have the patient return on a different day for another attempt. Transcranial Doppler Ultrasonography (TCD) Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography is a noninvasive method of analyzing blood flow in the brain. The flow of blood through the arteries in the brain can be analyzed using TCD. TCD is a form of ultrasound, in which high frequency sound waves bounce off or pass through body tissues. While most other types of ultrasonography create images of the tissue being studied, the results of TCD are audible sounds that the examiner listens to and records. Combined with other tests, this information can be used to locate restrictions in the blood vessels in the brain, and to track changes in blood flow over time. In this way, TCD gives valuable information about the site of a stroke and the patient's progress after a stroke. TCD is also used to evaluate the contraction of blood vessels that can occur if a blood vessel ruptures. A full TCD exam may last 30-45 minutes, and often longer in patients with disease. No special preparation is needed. The patient should remove contact lenses, and may wish to avoid the use of eye makeup, since the gel is likely to smear it. Abdominal studies: During this exam the sonographer checks for abnormalities in the liver, biliary tree (including the gall bladder), pancreas, kidneys, spleen, aorta, and inferior vena cava. The exam typically lasts 15-30 minutes. It is our preference to carry out this exam in the early morning after an overnight fast. Kidney / Retroperitoneal studies: The renal ultrasound focuses on both kidneys, ureters and the bladder, some labs also examine the pancreas with this study. 15 to 30 minutes is usually sufficient to complete this exam. It is our preference to carry out this exam in the early morning after an overnight fast. Pelvic studies: This study focuses typically on the contents of the female pelvis. In order to examine the uterus and ovaries the patient must be hydrated. This study requires a full bladder. At Evergreen Ultrasound we strive to see all our patients within 3 minutes of their scheduled exam time. Full bladder patients do not wait in our lobby to be seen, we get their exam done immediately. We want our patients to understand that their comfort in our facility is our highest priority. The full bladder portion of the exam typically lasts about 5-10 minutes. Additional imaging may be necessary to complete the exam. Thyroid Gland Ultrasound: This simple test uses sound waves to image the thyroid. The sound waves are emitted from a small hand-held transducer which is passed over the thyroid. A lubricant jelly is placed on the skin so that the sound waves transmit easier through the skin and into the thyroid and surrounding structures. This test is quick, accurate, cheap, painless, and completely safe. It usually takes only about 10 minutes and the results can be known almost immediately. Not all nodules need this test, but it is almost routine.   Powered by US Hightech Systems, Inc.   Home     |   Our Services    |    Our Expertise     |   Tests   |   Contacts                     Copyright © 2007 SonoTape, Inc. All rights reserved.