Every day hundreds of thousands of Australians visit their local GP for a routine health check-up. Every now and then you might be prescribed some treatment or asked to visit a specialist due to a concern that your GP has. This can be confusing, especially if it involves a lot of medical terminology that isn't frequently discussed. If you have been told you need a vascular ultrasound you may be confused as to what that entails, especially if your GP didn't do a very good job explaining it. Not to worry as the procedure is totally harmless and is often very quick.

What Is A Vascular Ultrasound?

You probably recognise the term ultrasound for those used during pregnancies to get a picture of unborn children. Well, the ultrasounds used in a vascular ultrasound are exactly the same. Ultrasounds use sound waves to map the inside of a human body using a special little device and, usually, some gel. The vascular system is also called the circulatory system which is comprised of your veins, arteries and capillaries. To put it simply a vascular ultrasound is when your veins, arteries and capillaries are mapped out by a machine to see if there are any problems that require attention. 

What Problems Could There Be?

Often if your primary care doctor orders a vascular ultrasound or any test they are simply doing their due diligence to rule out any possible problems until they find the root of the problem. In this case, your doctor might have noticed the symptoms of a condition and is using a vascular ultrasound to either prove or disprove their theory of what it could be. For vascular ultrasounds, this generally has to do with blood clots, the flow of the blood to specific organs or the enlargement or narrowing of certain veins and arteries. 

Vascular Ultrasound As Part Of Post Surgery Care

If you have recently had surgery on your veins or any area that is directly related to the circulatory system then as part of your recovery you may be asked to have a vascular ultrasound. In this case, the vascular ultrasound is just to check up on whether the operation was a success or not. An ultrasound may be able to identify if the planned improvements are working or if it hasn't taken hold as well as the surgeon would like. This makes vascular ultrasounds a very valuable tool to prove whether you are healing or require more help.

For more information about vascular ultrasounds, contact a doctor in your area.