Leg artery ultrasound

Leg artery ultrasound for peripheral artery disease

Leg artery ultrasound tracks blood flow from the stomach, through the legs, to the feet. Most importantly, conditions such as narrowing, blockages and aneurysms can be diagnosed.

Peripheral artery disease or peripheral vascular disease (PVD), is a common cause of leg pain that may be brought on by walking, cold feet and ulcers.

A leg artery ultrasound takes between 30 and 60 minutes. The leg and stomach will need to be uncovered for some of this time. We will send instructions on what you can and can’t eat drink before the scan.

What are the risk factors?

Risk factors for this disease include:

Smoking
High cholesterol
Diabetes
High blood pressure

Lack of exercise
Obesity
Family history
Increasing age.

What is Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)?

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a narrowing or blockage of the leg arteries. Cholesterol, calcium and blood clots all build up and deposit in the walls of arteries. This means reduced blood flow to the muscles and skin of the legs and feet.

Intermittent claudication may occur when there is poor blood flow to the muscles. Walking becomes hard with this condition because of cramping. But this often settles with rest.

When there is severe restriction of blood flow to the legs or feet, there may be pain, ulcers or gangrene. Following on from this, there will be a risk of leg amputation unless the arteries can be treated.

What treatments are available for PAD?

Knowing the risk factors is essential for managing PAD. This will include stopping smoking. It will also mean managing high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol, as well as having a healthy lifestyle. This is all together with a balanced diet and regular exercise. In people who suffer from lifestyle-limiting intermittent claudication Treatment with stents or sometimes surgical bypass may be needed.

In people who suffer from severe blood flow restriction, treatment is often urgent. Further, treatment may be with stents or sometimes surgical bypass.