Vascular & Vein Screening Saves Lives
Vascular diseases affect many aspects of your overall health. But with advanced screening technology at Vascular & Interventional Specialists, our experts can help you stay a few steps ahead. Vascular and vein screening is just one of the many ways we can help you live better and age smarter.
Vascular disease is often described by many names including:
- Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD)
- Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)
- Atherosclerosis
- Claudication
- Hardening of the arteries
- Poor circulation
Vascular disease can be debilitating and sometimes deadly. It can lead to high blood pressure, crippling leg pain, limb loss, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
The Vascular & Interventional Specialists’ Vascular Screening helps identify vascular disease using a painless test that does not require you to be undressed, exercising, or to draw blood.
Who should have a Vascular and Vein Screening?
This screening is for patients who are 35 or older and have a personal or family history of cardiac disease, heart attack or stroke. Type 1 diabetics should get screened at age 30 or older.
Major risk factors for vascular disease include:
- Diabetes
- Smokers or those who have smoked
- High Cholesterol
- Obesity
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Sores on your feet or legs that are slow to heal
- Aching, cramping, or pain in your arms, legs, thighs, buttocks while walking
- Age 50 or older
- Family history of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA)
Vascular & Vein Screening is suggested once every 3 to 5 years.
Schedule a Screening
Who should have a Vascular and Vein Screening?
Carotid Artery Ultrasound
To check patients for risk of a stroke or problems with the carotid artery, our team will perform an ultrasound to check for narrowing or blockage in the main arteries of your neck that are known to lead to stroke.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Ultrasound
This ultrasound is performed to check for enlargement or a bulge within the artery called an aneurysm, which is often hereditary and potentially fatal.
Ankle/Brachial Index
This procedure checks the blood flow in the legs, which could indicate a higher risk for heart disease.
Vein Reflux
This procedure checks your legs to determine if you have an underlying problem that may cause varicose veins, leg pain, or heaviness.
- Normal: Normal appearing vessel walls, essentially no plaque or cholesterol buildup, less than or equal to 19% stenosis. No follow-up is recommended at this time.
- Mild Disease: Some plaque is apparent but is within the normal range — 20% to 49% stenosis or narrowing. A follow-up vascular screen is recommended in 1 to 2 years.
- Moderate Disease: Moderate amound of plaque is seen — 50% to 69% stenosis or narrowing. An appointment with Vascular & Interventional Specialists is recommended within two weeks to review your test results and make recommendations for your treatment.
- Severe Disease: Large amount of plaque with significant effect on blood flow greater than 70%. Vascular & Interventional Specialists physicians recommend an immediate appointment with them, as your risk for stroke is increased.
- Aorta less than 3 cm: Normal appearing vessel walls. There is no follow-up recommended at this time.
- Aorta 3 cm: An appointment with Vascular & Interventional Specialists is recommended within two weeks to review your test results and make recommendations for your treatment.
- Aorta greater than 5 cm: Vascular & Interventional Specialists physicians recommend an immediate appointment with them, as your risk for an aneurysm is very high.
- Normal: There are no follow-up recommendations at this time.
- Mild Disease: Within 0.80-0.89. An appointment at Vascular & Interventional Specialists is recommended electively to review your test results with our recommendations.
- Moderate Disease: Within 0.50-0.79. An appointment at Vascular & Interventional Specialists is recommended within two weeks to review your test results and make recommendations for your treatment.
- Severe Disease: An index less than 0.49 suggests severe disease. Vascular & Interventional Specialists physicians recommend an immediate appointment with them, as your risk for limb loss is increased.
