Your healthcare provider will conduct a physical exam and review your medical history. You will also need to have imaging tests.
Blood tests can help identify factors that may increase your risk for vascular disease, like high cholesterol, issues with blood clotting or signs of inflammation. When these risk factors are present, they can impact blood flow and lead to problems like blockages.
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 duplex ultrasound uses sound waves to create images of your blood vessels. It combines traditional ultrasound for structure with a Doppler technique that shows blood flow. This allows doctors to assess blood flow speed and direction to diagnose blockages, narrowing or abnormal flow patterns. During the test, you’ll lie on a table. The technologist will place a gel over the tissues being examined and then move a transducer wand over the area. Sound waves from the wand bounce off the tissues and back to a computer, which interprets the waves to create images. The test is painless.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a noninvasive medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the organs, bones, muscles and blood vessels. During an MRI, you lie on a table that slides into a machine. You will remain still while the MRI is being performed, which can take an hour or more.
