Within our facility at Desert Vein & Vascular Institute, we have a full non-invasive vascular lab. This allows us to perform all vascular testing on-site. This makes life easier for our patients, as they don’t need a referral to an outside imaging center or hospital.
Here are the tests we perform in our vascular lab.
Ankle-Brachial Index (ABI)
Used to screen and predict the severity of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and to judge the efficacy of treatment. ABI is performed by measuring blood pressure at the ankle and in the arm while the patient is at rest. The index is calculated by dividing the blood pressure at the ankle by the blood pressure in the arm.
Treadmill ABI
A treadmill ABI can detect a significant drop in blood flow, which can indicate a narrowing or blockage within an artery. A treadmill ABI can detect this when a resting ABI sometimes cannot. A treadmill ABI is performed by measuring the blood pressure at the ankle and in the arm at rest and then after the patient spends a few minutes walking at pace on a treadmill.
Venous ultrasound
- Lower extremity: Venous insufficiency/varicose veins, acute or chronic deep venous thrombosis, venous stasis/ulcer
- Upper extremity: mapping for dialysis fistula or graft planning, acute or chronic DVT, compression syndromes such as thoracic outlet syndrome
- Abdominal and pelvic: inferior vena cava/renal veins, male varicoceles, pelvic congestion syndrome, compression syndromes
Arterial ultrasound
- Lower extremity: peripheral arterial disease, arterial insufficiency/non-healing ulcer, peripheral aneurysm, vasculitis/autoimmune disease
- Upper extremity: carotid disease/stroke, vertebrobasilar insufficiency, compression syndromes such as thoracic outlet syndrome, vasculitis/autoimmune disease
- Abdominal and pelvic: abdominal aortic aneurysm, renal artery stenosis, chronic mesenteric ischemia, visceral aneurysm, aorto-iliac disease, uterine fibroids
Non-vascular ultrasound
- Abdomen: liver, gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys
- Pelvis: uterus, ovaries, bladder
- Small parts: thyroid, head and neck, soft tissue
For all of your vascular issues, trust the experience of the team at Desert Vein & Vascular. Call us for an appointment, (623) 847-3884.