Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound
What is an Abdominal Aortic Ultrasound?
An ultrasound screening that examines the abdominal aorta (the major artery that supplies blood to the organs of the abdomen and lower extremities) looking for abdominal aortic aneurysms. Ruptured aneurysms can lead to death if not detected.
How is it performed?
Your technician will ask you to lie down on an examination table and will place a clear gel on your abdomen. The gel acts as a lubricant allowing the transducer (a device that puts out and detects ultrasound) to slide around easily on your skin. An image of the artery appears on a video screen which guides your technician to alter the position of the transducer to take different measurements.
Your results are then read by our board certified cardiologists and your physician will be notified of your condition immediately if necessary. This test is completely painless and takes approximately 6 minutes. Abdominal Aortic screening can detect serious problems early before symptoms are present and when treatment is most successful.