

What Can I Expect During a Doppler Ultrasound? Nicotine will contribute to a skewed result as it narrows the blood vessels. Or you may have to avoid smoking up to two hours before the exam. Generally, a patient will have to fast, avoiding food or drink for an allotted number of hours prior to the examination. The best way to prepare for a doppler ultrasound screening is to partner with your provider and understand the need for the scans. How Can I Prepare for a Doppler Ultrasound?

Diagnose and treat certain blood disorders that may affect the arms, legs, or abdomen.Monitoring blood flow in a post-operative state.The flow of blood between a mother and her baby while in the womb.Most often, a doppler is the go-to for situations where the provider wants to learn a few things: The use of doppler ultrasound varies based on medical need and chosen provider. Each color highlights a specific variant for the provider. For a color doppler, a computer will use color variations to highlight the blood flow and direction. They will receive the results in graphical reads. For a closer look at a patient’s blood flow over a period of time, a provider will choose to use a spectral doppler. The transcranial doppler will highlight the brain’s blood flow and can help detect potential subarachnoid hemorrhages or strokes. Most often, a provider may use a power doppler to understand individual organ blood flows. However, it won’t show the directional shifts. A power doppler test will help providers understand the present blood flow and how slow it may be. This information is useful when providers are looking at overall blood flow. It can help pinpoint blockages and detect blood vessel width. A duplex ultrasound is a combination of doppler and traditional ultrasound techniques. For doppler ultrasounds, there are a few types that a provider can use, including: This is where a doppler ultrasound is the most effective device available. While a standard ultrasound will produce internal imagery, it won’t showcase any of the blood supply or flow. There are a variety of ultrasound techniques and purposes, and each type is noninvasive. These results help medical providers identify and diagnose any potential blood- or heart-related concerns during pregnancy. The image will show the medical provider the direct path of the blood, in addition to the speed at which it travels through major veins and arteries.Īnother primary component of this imagery is the detection of blood flow through a patient’s heart. These devices use a combination of sound waves to create digital imagery of the blood flow and supply through a patient’s circulatory system. Things like blood clots, narrow artery passages, and other heart-related issues are detectable on the scan as well. These scans highlight blood flow direction and how the blood supply interacts with various veins and arteries. The doppler ultrasound is a beneficial tool to help detect potential blood vessel- or heart-related concerns. Here, we explain the doppler ultrasound in more detail to help you understand all the reasons for it. Specifically, a doppler ultrasound can help a provider understand the mother’s blood movement and supply, and this information can detect many heart-related concerns. These scans help highlight any reason for concern or question while pregnant and help paint a bigger picture for the healthcare provider. One of these screenings may be a doppler ultrasound test. Remember to trust your doctor and their experience and knowledge any time they decide to run extra screenings. While receiving active antenatal care, there may be a variety of reasons for your overseeing health provider to run additional testing, scans, or bloodwork.
