What you need to know before you do ultrasound of the veins of the lower and upper extremities: reviews and video procedures

Ultrasound examination( AS) - non-invasive ( which does not require prompt or other intrusion into a human) method of examining the human body.

The piezoelectric effect of some crystals is taken as the physical basis of the ultrasound investigation.

Crystals, when exposed to an alternating current, generate oscillations on their own, emitting ultrasonic waves.

And, conversely, under the influence of ultrasonic waves on their surface, there may be electric charges. In this case, this crystal can be both a generator and a receiver of ultrasound.

The ultrasonic signal sent from the surface of such a crystal in the sensor is reflected from the boundary of two tissues with different acoustic densities.

Depending on the angle of incidence, the ultrasound beam separates, one part continues to move into the tissue followed by absorption, the other is reflected. The reflection coefficient depends on the difference in the density of the two neighboring media. A full reflection of a pair of air-cloth.

When the ultrasound is assigned to the veins

This procedure allows to determinethe presence of such pathologies and diseases:

• early lesions of the vascular wall;
• hypertonicity, hypotension or disturbances in the elastic properties of the vascular wall;
• blood flow condition( patency, tortuosity, stenosis, varicose veins or thrombosis);
• assesses the permeability of deep veins and the condition of the valve veins.

It is necessary to undergo a test if spasms appear in the calf muscles, cooling, redness or burning sensation of the feet. The procedure is often prescribed for patients who are preparing for surgery and for monitoring in the postoperative period.

The structure of the veins of the extremities

The venous system of the lower limbs consists of two parts: the system of deep veins and the surface system.

These two systems are interconnected, so-called, communicative veins. The entire venous system of a person is equipped with valves, their structure and functioning allows performing the basic function of veins - the movement of blood from the periphery of the body to the heart.

The deep vein system carries 9 parts of blood and only one part of the blood is a surface system.

The principle of operation of these two systems is clearly visible when a person clamps the superficial veins of the legs. Then the blood accumulated in the superficial veins goes into the veins of the deep .This explains the fact that with a slight clamping of the limbs, the human leg does not swell from the stagnant blood.

In pathology, the system of communicative veins allows the movement of blood( discharge) from the deep system to the surface. With complete obstruction of the deep veins, such a reaction is a salvation for the limb.

In the future, under the influence of this overload, the pathological changes of the vascular wall in the form of varicose transformation develop.

Using ultrasound veins, you can also identify a disease such as ileofemoral thrombosis. More about the disease, read in our material.

How are related hereditary thrombophilia and pregnancy you can learn by studying our material on this topic. What problems can arise in this situation?

Indications and contraindications

Ultrasound of the superficial and deep veins of the lower and upper extremities should be performed if the patient has complaints about:

• decrease in skin temperature of the feet;
• numbness;
• paresthesia;
• severity, swelling of the legs;
• pain during exercise;
• appearance of pulsating neoplasms;
• appearance of vascular retina.

And also it is necessary to make ultrasound of the veins of the lower extremities if is suspected of:

• thrombosis;
• aneurysm;
• hemangioma;
• varicose veins;
• postthrombophlebitic syndrome.

In general, this method is completely safe, including for pregnant women, but the latter should be prescribed according to strict indications and in the minimum necessary time, given the existence of the hypothesis of negative effects of ultrasound.

However, there are a number of contraindications:

• - acute inflammatory and infectious processes in the body;
• - burns;
• - skin diseases( ulcers, wounds, etc.);
• - mental illness;
• - acute acute situations in a patient( asthma attack, epilepsy, myocardial infarction, bleeding or heart rhythm disturbance).

How is the procedure

ultrasound of the veins of the lower and upper extremities do not differ in principle.

Ultrasound of the leg veins

Before the procedure, the patient exposes the area where the examination will be performed. It does not matter in what position the person will be during ultrasound.

The procedure can be performed either lying down, standing or sitting .

Then a special gel is applied to the skin, to avoid the formation of an air gap between the sensor and the skin. During the procedure, the data is recorded in a special database, automatically processed and simultaneously displayed on the monitor in online mode.

Ultrasonography of the hands

The procedure for ultrasound examination of the upper limbs( arms) is carried out on the same principle as the lower ones. Because there is, although small, but the likelihood of varicose veins of the arms.

There are also thrombophlebitis, thrombosis, posttraumatic changes in the venous system of the hands.

On the video the doctor tells about the passage and further decoding of ultrasound of the veins of the lower extremities.

Ultrasound examination of arteries

This procedure is also called dopplerography.

The Doppler effect is used to perform ultrasound of arteries in apparatuses: signal sent by a special sensor is reflected from fast moving blood elements and its frequency varies in proportion to the blood flow velocity.

The technique allows to investigate the carotid, subclavian and vertebral arteries, as well as the main arteries of the extremities, the aorta.

With the help of a similar procedure, it is possible to diagnose stenosis, aneurysm, atherosclerotic plaques and other pathologies of the arteries.

The procedure itself is based on the general principles of ultrasound of the vascular system.

What the patients say

Let's study the responses of doctors and patients about the procedure of ultrasound of the veins of the extremities.

Cost of procedure

The average price of ultrasound veins of the lower and upper extremities in the Moscow clinics is 1800-2500 rubles.

Price arteries ranges from 2500 to 7000 rubles, depending on the complexity of the procedure and the vascular pool.

This procedure became available in most Russian clinics.

Conclusions

Man - the only creature on the planet in the process of evolution developed upright.

And he has to pay for it with such diseases as the pathology of the spine, the venous system of the lower extremities, the difficulties of labor, the pathology of the musculoskeletal system of the legs.

To quickly and correctly diagnose the a violation, at present there is one of the best diagnostic methods - ultrasound.

The technical improvement of the diagnostic equipment of this method is constantly being carried out, and for another decade it will serve humanity!