Diagnosis starts with a detailed history of symptoms and an exam to identify areas at risk. Scans or imaging tests can help identify the location and severity of the circulation issue.
Your healthcare provider may suspect CLI based on your symptoms and other medical problems. They may use additional tests such as CT scans, MRIs, angiograms or ultrasounds.
These tests evaluate:
- Blood flow in your hands, fingers, ankles, feet and toes
- How quickly or thoroughly wounds heal
- The extent of narrowed or blocked arteries
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive scan that creates detailed images of the organs, bones, muscles and blood vessels.
It uses magnets and radio waves (rather than radiation) to create the images.
An angiogram is a special test doctors use to see how blood moves through your blood vessels. A special dye called contrast is injected into your body. Imaging technology then allows doctors to see where your blood is flowing and if there are narrowed areas or blockages that slow or prevent blood flow.
A coronary angiogram, also called a catheter angiogram, is a procedure that allows doctors to diagnose conditions such as blockages or narrowing in the blood vessels. During this procedure, which takes place in the cardiac catheterization lab, you can be lightly sedated so you’re relaxed and calm. You will lie on a table and a thin tube called a catheter will be inserted into a blood vessel, typically in your groin area. The catheter is guided to the area being examined, and contrast dye is injected through the catheter to make the blood vessels visible on X-ray images. The X-ray machine takes multiple images, which let your provider watch the catheter and the dye move through your blood vessels. When the dye slows or stops, doctors know there is a blockage or narrowed vessel.
A CT angiogram, also called a CTA, is an imaging test that uses a CT scan and contrast dye to create detailed pictures of your blood vessels. This helps doctors see blockages, aneurysms or other problems inside arteries and veins throughout your body. During this test, you will lie on a table and an IV will be placed in your hand or arm. Contrast dye will be injected into the IV, and you will have painless electrodes attached to your chest. This will allow your medical team to monitor your heart rate and rhythm. The table slides into the CT machine, which takes a series of images from various angles. The procedure usually takes less than an hour.
A vascular ultrasound is an imaging study that uses sound waves to create images of your blood vessels. This painless test helps doctors examine the arteries and veins and see blood flow patterns. During the test, you lie on a table and a gel is applied to your skin by a technologist. The technologist then presses a transducer wand on your skin, and the sound waves bounce off the areas being examined and are converted into images by a computer. A vascular ultrasound generally takes less than 45 minutes. It evaluates for abnormal blood flow, blockages and narrowing in the blood vessels that could indicate vascular disease.
